EMPHNET worked with the Ministry of Health and Population toward building workforce capacity in field epidemiology, rapid response, polio assets transitioning, and other priority areas.

Over the past ten years, EMPHNET worked with the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) and international partners in building the capacities of one of the first Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP) in the region, the Egypt FETP which was founded in 1993. FETP residents and graduates participated in regional training workshops which EMPHNET conducted to build residents' and graduates' capacities in rapid response to emergencies, scientific research, scientific writing, among other subjects. With support from EMPHNET and with the aim to expand the country’s capacities in field epidemiology and outbreak investigation, the MOHP launched the Public Health Empowerment Program-Basic Field Epidemiology (PHEP-BFE) in 2017. The PHEP-BFE is an in-service program that provides didactic and field training in the fundamentals of surveillance, outbreak investigation, and emergency response. In 2021, EMPHNET also supported Egypt in launching the intermediate, one-year program modality.

EMPHNET’s support for public health workforce development extended to include Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) training. EMPHNET supported the MOHP in conducting a series of RRT training workshops targeting health workers from governorates across Egypt. These RRT training workshops were important to strengthen the public health workforce capacity to effectively respond to outbreaks and other public health emergencies. Many of these RRT members were mobilized to assist the MOHP in responding to public health emergencies.

In an expanding collaboration, EMPHNET is working with decision-makers for public health emergency response in Egypt to develop rapid response standard operating procedures that provide a step-by-step guidance for the RRT management during both preparedness and response phases while adopting a country-specific, all-hazards approach. This also includes building the capacity of rapid response program managers and developing a data management system that hosts various RRT databases including a functional and up-to-date roster.

EMPHNET worked with the MOHP in strengthening sustainable public health capacity for polio eradication and routine immunization activities. EMPHNET supported the MOHP in utilizing its strong polio eradication program experience. Through this joint effort, Egypt’s domestic polio assets were used to address low population immunity for measles in three frontier governorates: Aswan, Matrouh, and Red Sea, which are pockets of continuously missed children, particularly observed in the 2014-2015 measles outbreak. Between 2019-2020, EMPHNET supported the MOHP in utilizing the experience and lessons learned from the implementation in the afore-mentioned governorates towards expanding this effort into new four governorates: Cairo, Giza, Kalubia, and Sharkia. The expansion maximized the use of national polio program assets in strengthening immunization activities and addressing challenges in low immunization coverage areas in relation to measles and other vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) with particular focus on acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), fever, and rash surveillance.

In 2017, the MOHP in collaboration with EMPHNET began the surveillance of Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) at ten sentinel sites throughout the country to use CRS surveillance data to monitor the impact of the national rubella vaccination strategy as well as the progress towards rubella/CRS elimination and in turn take necessary corrective measures in due time.

To respond to identified training needs for health staff working for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), the MOHP and EMPHNET collaborated in training peripheral staff from Primary Health Centers in various governorates across Egypt. Starting in 2017, the training targeted 175 districts in 18 governorates of Egypt to enable EPI staff to contribute to the improvement of EPI activities and achievement of its objectives.

Supported by GHD|EMPHNET, the Ministry of Health and Population is strengthening the capacity of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) workforce with a focus on areas that serve the program goals of eliminating measles and maintaining the country’s polio-free status. Large-scale, cascade training was conducted with a focus on vaccine safety, valid and false contraindications, behavioral strategies for immunization uptake, community involvement in immunization, interpersonal communication skills, and immunization strategies for healthcare providers. Other topics covered included vaccine storage and handling as well as vaccine administration.

In continuation of a five-year collaboration toward measles elimination, the MOHP and EMPHNET worked to build the capacity of EPI and health centers staff, in four high priority governorates in managing EPI activities.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT) initiative in August 2020. The PACT initiative aimed to strengthen capacity to test for COVID-19 across Africa with emphasis on countries that have only minimal capacity. In Egypt, EMPHNET in collaboration with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) led the roll out and implementation of a community contact tracing strategy in support of formal COVID-19 response.