A decade of gains in public health emergency preparedness and response at points of entry

Shahrokh Roohi,Todd Wilson

doi:10.5365/wpsar.2012.3.1.003

Abstract

WPSAR Vol 3, No 1, 2012 | doi: 10.5365/wpsar.2012.3.1.003 www.wpro.who.int/wpsar 1 a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Submitted: 21 January 2012; Published: 27 March 2012 doi: 10.5365/wpsar.year.2012.3.1.003 The role of air travel in rapid translocation of infectious disease is indisputable.1 The global health community has long been concerned about the movement across borders of vaccinepreventable diseases, tuberculosis and other diseases of public health concern. These concerns escalated following the September 2001 terrorist attack and the anthrax bioterrorism incident in the United States of America; the worldwide spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003; and the reemergence of H5N1 avian influenza soon thereafter, which stoked fears about the possibility of a severe influenza pandemic. To better prepare and coordinate countries to respond to all-hazards health emergencies at their borders, in the past 10 years the global public health community has formed numerous domestic and international alliances.

Highlights

Country public health officials contributed to the revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations
Within the United States of America, governmental interagency planning efforts in the past decade have bolstered emergency preparedness planning, trainings, drills and exercises at the 20 points of entry that receive about 80% of inbound international airline passengers
Examples include the border public health response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the subsequent cholera outbreak, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the repatriation of citizens during these disasters and the communication of health risk to travellers following the global resurgence of measles in 2011

Summary

Introduction

Country public health officials contributed to the revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations. Much has been done to strengthen core public health capacities and preparedness for emergency response at points of entry and exit, contributing to community and global health security. Member States engaged in planning for communicable disease response at airports, including drills, exercises and response coordination between the aviation and public health sectors.

Results

Conclusion