Strengthening public health surveillance and risk assessment for health security threats in the WHO South-East Asia Region

Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to health globally and in the Region. To more effectively manage current and future epidemics, pandemics and emergencies, Member States, WHO and partners must work together to identify the key learnings from the pandemic to prioritize action in bolstering health security systems. In the South-East (SE) Asia Region, the WHO Regional Office has facilitated synthesis of the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the development of the Regional Strategic Roadmap on health security and health system resilience for emergencies 2023–2027 incorporating the lessons learnt.

A meeting on ‘Strengthening public health surveillance and risk assessment for health security threats in the WHO SE Asia Region’ was organized to identify common priority regional actions related to surveillance, risk assessment and field epidemiology. This report summarizes discussions and outcomes of the meeting, with key directions for the efforts and investment to advance health security and implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005).