Event highlights
6 October 2023
The WHO Regional Office for Europe, in collaboration with the WHO Country Office in Czech Republic and the Czech Ministry of Health, and with support from WHO Headquarters, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Italy’s Istituto Superiore di Sanità, organized a 4-day, in-person training covering core concepts of Early Warning Alert and Response (EWAR) in emergencies.
The workshop brought together 25 public health experts from the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Public Health and the Regional Public Health Authorities of the country and highlighted the added value of EWAR during an emergency for strengthening detection of threats and prompt response based on available resources.
The main goal of the training was for the public health authorities to become familiar with the already available tools that can support EWAR implementation in case of an emergency. The training sessions covered core functions of EWAR, surveillance methodologies, information management, investigation and response.
Participants were challenged to apply core EWAR principles through interactive teamwork and following a simulated emergency scenario, including public health hazard prioritization, rapid assessment of surveillance priorities and management of signals deriving from the collection of surveillance data in a given context.
After the training, Dr Zdeněk Kyselý, Head of the Epidemiology Unit at the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, said: “We were very happy to have the opportunity to attend this EWAR in Emergencies training, which has allowed us to share many valuable experiences and has provided inspiration for further activities for preparedness of serious health threats in the Czech Republic.”
Another participant, Dr Eva Patrasová, added: “This training gave me the opportunity to see the issue from a new point of view. It was a great opportunity to meet colleagues from different regions and different institutions involved in public health threats. The content and structure of the training were very good.”
Event notice
28–31 August 2023 Prague, Czech Republic
From 28–31 August 2023 the WHO Country Office in Czechia and the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment (HIM) Unit will launch the first multi-day, face-to-face early warning alert and response (EWAR) in Emergencies workshop, for public health epidemiologists, laboratory specialists and emergency response experts.
Emergencies, such as natural disasters and conflict, are indisputable challenges even for the most robust national health care systems. WHO’s role is to support countries to prepare for and respond effectively to health emergencies, and subsequently improve the trust of the population in health systems.
Member States in the WHO European Region have faced significant emergencies with health consequences in recent years, including the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis, further underscoring the need to strengthen national capacities in EWAR.
A new regional training in EWAR core functions for emergency response was developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe based on the 2023 publication WHO Early warning alert and response (EWAR) in emergencies: an operational guide.
Similar workshops will follow in the coming months in other countries in the European region facing the Ukraine refugee crisis.
The training is organized with financial support from the CDC.