Strengthening health security in the Pacific
Pacific island countries and areas are already vulnerable to outbreaks and emergencies, including emerging infectious diseases, food and water insecurity, and natural hazards, with this vulnerability increasingly exacerbated by climate change. These hazards threaten national and regional health security and can cause lasting social, political and economic vulnerability.
To protect the health and safety of Pacific communities, WHO supports national governments and partners to take a multisectoral, all-hazards approach to health security.
Through this collaboration, WHO helps Pacific governments to objectively assess, prioritize, implement and fund the national and regional health security capacities required under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).
Guided by the Healthy Islands vision and the Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework, WHO works with Pacific governments and regional partners to strengthen the core public health capacities needed to prepare, detect, assess and respond to emergencies in the unique context of the Pacific. As part of this, the Pacific Syndromic Surveillance System serves as the early warning system linked to a network of laboratories with increasing capabilities throughout the region.
Because the first responders to emergencies are always those in close proximity to an event, WHO also works with Pacific governments to establish self-sufficient emergency medicals teams of trained, equipped, clinical and operations personnel ready to deploy within 24 hours of an event. In addition, WHO remains ready to deploy trained emergency response professionals, laboratory and clinical equipment and supplies to support governments and communities in need.
