As part of a project that aims to strengthen the understanding of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) for epidemiologists, EMPHNET jointly conducted a five-day workshop on the IHR Toolkit in Ukraine with CRDF Global, with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP).

Held between February 15 and 19, 2016, the workshop served to enable participants to recognize IHR concepts and to analyze the surveillance, alert, and response systems used in public health events. Its sessions highlighted the use of IHR as a framework for advocacy, planning, and capacity development, while serving to develop IHR concepts for further trainings at the national and subnational levels.

Workshop sessions offered an overview of IHR concepts. They also touched on issues related to the roles of international organizations and networks in IHR implementation, public health safety in an IHR context, and IHR in relation to lab core capacities, among other topics.

Furthermore, the workshop agenda focused on the mapping of country health systems in relation to IHR implementation and providing health risk assessments. Additionally, the general principles of emergency management practices, risk communication, the role of veterinary legislations and IHR were also discussed in great detail.

A good portion of the workshop was also dedicated to risk communication, information sharing, and national health systems in relation to IHR, while the concept of “One Health” was defined and discussed substantially. Within this framework the “One Health” concept was highlighted as the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain the optimal health of humans, animals, and the environment with discussions linking this definition in an IHR context.

Statements from the Facilitators and Participants

Dr. Saleh Al Awaidy
Communicable Diseases Advisor
Ministry of Health-Jordan

The workshop covered all areas related to IHR, with focus on an important pillar which is core capacity building. The multinational context of the workshop was of special value to the participants, as the facilitators come from different countries with different experiences. The workshop was highly interactive, and this created an opportunity for participants to express their concerns, in the area of IHR, and helped facilitators better address such concerns.

Dr. Oleksiyovch Paduraru
Director of Epidemiology, Public Health and Communicable Disease Department
Ministry of Health- Chernivtsi, Ukraine

I believe that this workshop will benefit my field of work, because Chernivtsi is a city which shares borders with Romania and Moldova. Adopting IHR is of value to a city which is a crossing point for two countries. After the workshop, I plan to meet with public health officials at the Ministry to discuss changes that can be made in work plans that we are adopting in the city. I also intend to plan with officials the possibility of conducting similar workshops in our city. I wish that similar workshops can be conducted on a regular basis because this will enable us to address public health concerns, particularly communicable diseases, with more confidence, and allow us to integrate more with the international community.

Ms. Olena Yegorova
Epidemiologist at the Anti-Plague Research Institute
Ministry of Health- Odessa, Ukraine

This workshop has been important as it offered the chance to exchange knowledge and experience with national and foreign experts. It is of significance for me because the institute where I work is involved in IHR at the national level. After this training, I plan to use the knowledge I have gained, as a trainer myself, in order to conduct national trainings in the area of IHR. Trainees can also use what they have learnt from this workshop in influencing decision makers to adopt policies that better suit international health regulations.