An effective health emergency response hinges on timely and thorough risk analysis. This analysis, which includes risk assessment, management and communication, is vital for understanding a public health event and guiding effective, proportionate response actions.
A new toolkit for risk assessment
In 2023, a WHO global survey highlighted the need to strengthen national risk assessment capacities within public health institutions. In response, WHO developed an all-hazard toolkit to support Member States. The toolkit, which operationalizes existing WHO guidance and incorporates modern advancements, features two main components: a Quick Initial Risk Assessment (QIRA) Algorithm and a Member State Rapid Risk Assessment (MS-RRA) tool.
The QIRA algorithm, as the name suggests, is a rapid tool designed for a quick, initial assessment of emergency events, typically completed in under an hour. It helps determine the risk level and triggers pre-defined, non-event-specific actions, such as initiating a more comprehensive assessment. In contrast, the MS-RRA tool enables more comprehensive, in-depth, and nuanced assessments. It is designed to be completed within 48 hours by a multidisciplinary team and helps systematically characterize risk, identify specific countermeasures, and document information gaps.
Testing the toolkit – a milestone for the Western Pacific Region
In collaboration with Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam WHO conducted the first-ever, in-country training of these two tools, during a capacity building workshop from 27-30 October 2025, marking a major milestone in health security for the Western Pacific Region and globally. Close to 50 participants were introduced to the critical role that risk assessment plays during an emergency and practiced using the two risk assessment tools.
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WHO and the Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam at the first in-country training on rapid risk assessment tools to strengthen emergency preparedness and response. Credit: WHO / Misheel Enkhdalai
Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore stressed on the importance of the workshop “WHO together with partners developed these new tools to support countries in conducting timely, structured and standardized risk assessments at both national and subnational levels. This workshop being the very first global in person training on MS-RRA and QIRA marks an important step forward in ensuring that risk assessment processes are not only scientifically robust, but also practical and adaptable to country contexts.”
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WHO trainers leading a session on conducting structured, evidence-based public health risk assessments using the new all-hazard toolkit.
Participants engaged in scenario-based simulation exercises (i.e., a dengue outbreak or a chemical event) and practiced the various steps required to conduct a quick and immediate risk assessment. Additionally, participants worked with five different health emergency scenarios such as vaccine-preventable disease, intoxication, respiratory disease, gas leak and vector-borne disease, and applied the MS-RRA tool to evaluate the level of risk for each scenario. The exercises fed into discussions around reporting protocols for public health hazard risks, to the public and higher-level officials. This hands-on learning enables stakeholder buy-in for utilizing these risk assessment tools during an emergency, facilitating their integration into future policies around public health intelligence in Brunei.
"During a health emergency event, it is vital for decision-makers to understand threats, translate data into insights and make transparent, evidence-based decisions that save lives,” said Dr Pg Hj Sirajul Adli Pg Hj Jamaludin, acting director Department of Environmental Health Services , Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam. “As the first country to train our workforce to use these innovative risk assessment tools, Brunei is leading emergency preparedness and response efforts in our Region.”
From assessment to response: building capacities along the emergency response continuum
Participants were also introduced to the ePHEM: an electronic public health emergency management system designed to improve a country's ability to manage public health emergencies.
The digital platform, which manages the entire lifecycle of a public health crisis, represents a fundamental shift from fragmented, paper-based processes to an integrated, data-driven approach for coordinating emergency response.
Through integrating ePHEM within the risk assessment training, WHO provided participants with a unified operational picture for response during an emergency./countries/malaysia/role-playing-exercise.png?sfvrsn=8668d3bf_1 "role-playing-exercise")
Participants during a role-playing exercise, reflecting on a timely and accurate approach needed for effective public health emergency response and communication
One of the participants Dr Shareefah Koh Kai Shing shared how helpful the workshop was for her and her colleagues in understanding the context of using and applying the tools in real life scenario, “We feel much more confident of understanding and evaluating the risks, if there is ever an emergency. These tools would be really helpful and definitely has made us more prepared.”
Expanding across the Western Pacific
The risk assessment workshop in Brunei Darussalam heralds a new era in strengthening rapid risk assessment across the Western Pacific, using harmonized and standardized tools to support timely, evidence-based decision-making during acute public health events.
Anchored in the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) including the 2024 revisions and aligned with the Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework, the initiative responds to gaps identified in Joint External Evaluation and States Parties Self-Assessment Annual Reportings, which consistently highlight the need to improve rapid risk assessment capabilities.
Building on this momentum, the WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific aims to roll out similar trainings across other countries to strengthen the regional health emergency workforce and embed risk assessment as a core function of public health intelligence and emergency response.
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Teams collaborate to evaluate emergency scenarios from infectious disease outbreaks to chemical incidents applying the QIRA and MS-RRA tools to guide decision-making.
“At a time of permacrisis, with health emergencies arriving faster than before, from emerging infectious diseases to the health impacts of the climate crisis, our new risk assessment toolkit offers all 38 countries and areas in the Western Pacific an opportunity to prepare better,” said Dr Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director for WHO in the Western Pacific. “We’re grateful to Brunei Darussalam for being the first to test the toolkit, and to all who helped put this together, for being at the vanguard of change in our Region.”
WHO sincerely thanks the Federal Government of Germany for their financial support in delivering the rapid risk assessment workshop.