Authors: Pattama Ulrich, Program Manager; Jose Fernandez; and Rachel Kleinberg, Division of International Health Security, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

The holiday season and holiday-related travel are taking off globally, impacting not only individuals, but also the public health emergency response capacity of services and infrastructures that keeps travelers safe. As more people travel to visit their loved ones, emerging and infectious diseases such as influenza viruses with pandemic potential have a greater opportunity to spread rapidly throughout our crowded and interconnected world.

Mr. Alim Hayatou, third from the right, delivers opening remarks at the workshop. Photo: Pattama Ulrich

Since 2006, as part of its pandemic influenza preparedness and global health security strategies, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has partnered with the Institut Pasteur to address pandemic influenza preparedness gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia and to enhance the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR [2005]). As part of this partnership, the Division of International Health Security (DIHS) , within ASPR, collaborated with local and international stakeholders to hold the five-day Central Africa Workshop on Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza and Respiratory Diseases in the Context of the International Health Regulations from November 4-8, 2013, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The workshop was hosted by Centre Pasteur in Cameroon (CPC), a public institution within the Ministry of Public Health.

Through this workshop, DIHS and the Institut Pasteur brought together Ministry of Health officials from Angola, Burundi, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Senegal. Officials from these 11 countries—experts in National IHR Focal Point communications and laboratory and epidemiological surveillance—worked together to advance multi-disciplinary collaborations focused on pandemic preparedness during the workshop.

In addition to Ministry of Health officials who participated in the workshop, this event drew senior officials from national and international organizations. Mr. Alim Hayatou, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon, delivered opening remarks on behalf of H.E. Andre Mama Fouda, Minister of Public Health of Cameroon.

Other notable participants included:

• Dr. Charlotte Ndiaye, WHO Representative to Cameroon
• Dr.Omotayo Bolu, CDC Country Director-Cameroon
• Dr. Guy Vernet, Director, CPC and Institut Pasteur International Network (IPIN) 
• Dr. Jose Fernandez, Deputy Director, Division of International Health Security, ASPR
• Dr. Richard Njouom, Director, Virology Department, CPC 

This five day workshop established a foundation for ongoing collaboration between ASPR, Institut Pasteur and its IPIN , World Health Organization’s Africa Regional Office, CDC, and partner countries’ Ministries of Health. It also demonstrated how a small program in ASPR can contribute to building national, regional, and international partnerships critical to improving global health security.

Crowded, cough-filled shopping malls and long plane rides ringing with sneezes are vivid reminders of how easy it is to spread diseases from one place to another, not just during the holiday season, but year-round. Whether in Yaoundé or Washington, D.C., emerging and infectious diseases – including viruses that have the potential to become pandemics – continue to impact national and global health security at unpredictable intervals and from unexpected sources. And that’s one reason that ASPR continues its work with international partners to enhance public health preparedness beyond our borders.