PHE Activities for 2006

July 2006

Memorandum of Understanding between ADPC and WHO Regional Offices of WPRO & SEARO, Bangkok, Thailand (23 June)

An MOU was signed between ADPC and WHO through its WHO Regional Office for Southeast Asia (WHO SEARO) and WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific (WHO WPRO) on the Public Health and Emergency Management in Asia and the Pacific (PHEMAP) programme to strengthen national capacities for managing health risks of emergencies in the WHO Southeast and Western Pacific regions. The MOU aims to:

1.       Enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of health human resources at national, sub-national and community level by offering a range of training course and capacity building activities;

2.       Promote and facilitate regional collaboration and national coordination in health emergency management through the development and implementation of formal and informal networks and other activities;

3.       Contribute to capacity building in other regions and countries by offering PHEMAP initiatives.

Regional Consultation on Emergency Preparedness and Response: From Lessons to Action, Bali, Indonesia (27-29 June)

Mr. Jonathan Abrahams, Team Leader of ADPC's Public Health in Emergencies (PHE) team attended the regional consultation meeting to review the current activities in tsunami-affected and non-tsunami-affected countries. Specifically, the consultation meeting focused on multi-sectoral/agency coordination, community empowerment and capacity building. Discussions led to the evaluations conducted on tsunami response and recovery activities, preparedness and response for other emergencies, further steps to take lessons to action for rehabilitation efforts and capacity building-a view of stakeholders and finally, strategy for intensified capacity building for emergency preparedness and response based on benchmarks. The regional consultation was in partnership with WHO Regional Office for Southeast Asia.

Business Contingency Plan for Pandemic Avian Influenza Bangkok, Thailand (29 June)

ADPC's Public Health in Emergencies (PHE) team attended the one-day meeting on Business Plan for Pandemic Avian Influenza in Bangkok. The objective of the meeting was to stimulate Thai business sector to prepare contingency plan to deal with crisis, especially pandemic avian influenza. The meeting discussed minimizing possible expected social and economy damages and suggestions for business sector to continue operation even in severe pandemic situations. The organizers of the meeting were Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), APEC Business Advisory Council, Ministry of Public Health and WHO