The Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, briefed members and staff of the U.S. Congress today about the Organization's response to Ebola.
Washington, D.C., 18 November 2014 (PAHO/WHO) — The Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, briefed members and staff of the U.S. Congress today about the Organization's response to Ebola.
Etienne described PAHO/WHO's cooperation with its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to help them prepare for the possible introduction of Ebola. So far, the only country in the Americas that has reported cases of Ebola is the United States.
The goal of preparedness efforts is to ensure that countries have the necessary policies, procedures and human resource capacity in place to ensure the early detection of any imported Ebola case and effective action to prevent or contain its spread. Etienne noted that efforts to prepare for Ebola are important not only because of the potential for Ebola introduction but also to increase preparedness for other diseases and health emergencies that could arise. This requires a "resounding commitment" by countries to strengthening their "core capacities" as defined in the International Health Regulations (IHR), Etienne said.
PAHO/WHO's work has included virtual and face-to-face training and briefings and the dissemination of guidelines in areas including clinical management of Ebola patients, correct use of personal protective equipment, transport of Ebola patients, environmental cleaning, implementation of measures at points of entry, disease surveillance, laboratory capacity and sample management, isolation and medical waste management, organization of health services, logistics, rapid response teams, virology, and implementation of the recommendations of the Emergency Committee of the IHR.
PAHO/WHO is also mobilizing special missions to its member countries made up of experts in coordination, surveillance, laboratory procedures, clinical management, and logistics. Together with national health officials, they will assess each country's preparedness to respond to an imported case of Ebola. PAHO/WHO will provide additional technical cooperation—upon country request—to address identified gaps in preparedness.
Additionally, PAHO/WHO has positioned a stockpile of personal protective equipment and heavy-duty kits for the clinical care of 50 Ebola patients in a warehouse in Panama for rapid deployment if needed. The Organization also provided pre-deployment training to 265 Cuban medical personnel to assist the Ebola response in affected countries in West Africa.
PAHO/WHO has actively engaged with U.S. agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USAID, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Department of State (DOS), and the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), among others, to discuss a coordinated response to Ebola and identify areas of collaboration.
The congressional briefing was organized by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, Minnesota) and Congressman Dave Reichert (R, Washington), who co-chair the House Global Health Caucus. Other briefing panel members included Sonia Khush of Save the Children, John Service of Catholic Relief Services, Dr. Hilarie Cranmer of International Medical Corps, and Ann Vaughan of Mercy Corps.
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