National health emergency risk communication: plan-testing package

Overview

In February 2017, the WHO Regional Office for Europe launched a capacity-building package on ERC in five steps to support country development or strengthening of ERC under IHR. The five-step package is a unique, sustained, country-tailored capacity-building project in ERC. It comprises: 1. Training; 2. Capacity-mapping; 3. Plan writing; 4. Plan testing; and 5. Plan adoption. The aim of ERC plan testing – step four of the ERC five-step package – is to support countries in testing their national health ERC plan. In the ERC five-step capacity-building package, this activity follows training, capacity-mapping and plan-writing activities and missions. Plan testing may also be part of a broader emergency response simulation exercise in which ERC is tested with other core IHR capacities.