EPI-WIN digest 57 - WHO Infection prevention and control (IPC) and Water, sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Health Emergency readiness for response operations capabilities Checklist

Overview

Infectious disease outbreaks continue to challenge fragile health systems, especially in low-resource, humanitarian, and emergency settings. Despite advancements in surveillance and clinical management, gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) readiness persist—often exacerbating the impact of epidemics on communities and health systems.

To strengthen IPC and WASH readiness and response capabilities globally, the World Health Organization (WHO), through the Safe and Scalable Care Unit and IPC/WASH teams, has developed a practical new tool : the  Infection prevention and control (IPC) and Water, sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Health Emergency readiness for response operations capabilities “IPC & WASH HERO CAPE) Checklist available on WHO partners platform as both online “digital” and offline “excel sheet” forms.  This checklist was structured based on WHO Framework and toolkit for infection prevention and control in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response at the national level.

This tool helps countries and partners assess and enhance their IPC and WASH readiness capabilities across health systems before and during outbreaks, with emphasis on real-time implementation, coordination, and frontline capacity strengthening.