Session 3: Fragmented health systems in COVID-19: rectifying the misalignment between global health security and universal health coverage

Moderator: Dr Abdul Ghaffar, Formerly Executive Director Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO Headquarters, Switzerland

Presentations:

09:00 – 09:15

• Global Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) architecture: WHO’s new vision and priorities for epidemic and pandemic control

Dr Richard Brennan, Regional Emergency Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt

09:15 – 09:30

• Surveillance as a Core Essential Public Health Function: Rebuilding Resilient Health Systems in EMR to advance the Dual Goals of Universal Health Coverage and Health Security (Virtual)

Dr Awad Mataria, Director Universal Health Coverage/Health Systems, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt

09:30 – 09:45

• Strengthening health systems in fragile settings to advance better pandemic preparedness-case of Somalia

Dr Mamunur Malik, WHO Representative, Somalia

09:45 – 10:00

• Mass gatherings and surveillance for emerging infectious diseases

Prof. Ziad Memish, Director of Research and Innovation Center, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia

10:00 – 10:15

• Sustaining investments in health security made during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ms Ann Moen, Ex Ass. Director of Pandemic Preparedness, Influenza Division, CDC, United States of America

10:15 – 11:00

Panel discussion

Moderator: Dr Abdul Ghaffar, Formerly Executive Director Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO Headquarters, Switzerland

How do we leverage the existing health systems and health security capacities to be better prepared for future pandemics: Lesson learn from Covid -19 pandemic with health systems lens

Panelists:

Dr Palitha Mahipala, WHO Representative, Pakistan
Dr Eduardo Azziz – Baumgartner, Acting Branch Chief – Global Influenza Branch, CDC, United States of America
Prof. Ziad Memish, Director of Research and Innovation Center, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
Dr Bader Al Rawahi, Director of Communicable Diseases Control, Mistry of Health, Sultanate of Oman

11:00 – 11:30

Networking break

11:30 – 14:00

Moderator: Dr Heather Burke, Regional Director Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, CDC United States of America

Thematic areas: Disease burden estimation: Influenza, MERS and ORVs, COVID-19, vaccine, human-animal interface, biosafety and security, Respiratory disease epidemic and pandemic preparedness, Influenza, Lessons learnt from COVID-19

• Pakistan: Dr Nazish Badar

Seasonal influenza disease burden estimation using sentinel site data in Pakistani population: 2017- 2019

• Tunisia: Dr Sonia Dhaouadi

The burden of lower respiratory infections in Tunisia, 1990-2019

• Tunisia” Mrs Aicha Boukthir

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of high-risk groups regarding influenza vaccine uptake in Tunisia: a qualitative study

• Qatar: Dr Khalid Elmardi

Qatar covid-19 vaccination success story: what are the key elements?

• Morocco: Prof. Majdouline Obtel

Long term effectiveness of inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CORV against covid-19 associated critical hospitalization in Morocco

• Egypt: Dr Abeer Mohamed

Implementation of biological inventory system in central public health laboratories as a biosecurity measures

• Jordan:  Dr. Ehab Abu Basha

Reducing the threat of middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus and avian influenza in Jordan and strengthening regional disease surveillance capacity

• Region: Mrs Rebecca Badra

Avian influenza in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a need for improving surveillance at the human-animal interface using one health paradigm

• Region: Dr Mohammad Akbar Paiman

Review: Integrating outbreak preparedness, response and management functions into the routine health system

Followed by Q&A

9 oral presentations Panel of Judges

Dr Ahmed Mandil, Coordinator, Research & Innovation, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt
Dr Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Somalia
Dr Hind Bouguerra, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Tunisia
Dr Mohammed Badi, Public Health Specialist, Ministry of Health, United Arab of Emirate
Dr Noore Alam, Technical Officer, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt
Dr Kinda Zureick, Epidemiologist, Global Influenza Branch, Influenza Division, CDC, United States of America
Dr Mohammad Nemer Abed Al – Hawarat, Director of the Communicable Diseases Directorate, Ministry of Health, Jordan

14:00 – 15:00

Lunch break

Workshops

15:00 – 17:00

• Burden of Influenza Disease Estimation- Experiences and new tools

Dr Stefano Tempia, Team Lead, Global Influenza Programme, WHO Headquarters, Switzerland

• One Health Approach & Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) surveillance, preparedness and response

Dr Sophie Von Dobschuetz, Technical Lead – MERS – CoV and novel Coronaviruses, WHO Headquarter, Switzerland

• Establishment and expansion of seasonal influenza vaccination in the Region: policy and programmatic considerations and best practices

Dr Joseph Bresee, Director, Respiratory Virus Prevention Programs, Center for Vaccine Equity, Task Force for Global Health

• Infodemic and community listening for events of respiratory viruses caused epidemics/pandemics – learnings from COVID – 19
  pandemic and new tools

Dr Supriya Bezbaruah, Team Lead, EPI – WIN, Science and Knowledge Translation, Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, WHO Headquarters, Switzerland

Session 4: Strategies to improve vaccine equity and overcoming  hesitancy: lessons learned from COVID-19 Pandemic

Moderator: Dr Seif Al-Abri Salem, Senior Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Royal Hospital, Sultanate of Oman

Presentations

09:00 – 09:10

• Global KAP: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) related to influenza vaccination among health care personnel in twelve low- and middle-income countries: a pooled analysis from 2018-2020

Dr Margaret McCarron, Epidemiologist, Vaccine Implementation Team, Global Influenza Branch, CDC, United State of America

09:10 – 09:20

• Pediatric respiratory diseases: progress and challenges

Dr Osama Mere, Life Immunization and Integration Lead, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt

09:20 – 09:30

• Curbing influenza burden through promoting vaccination of high-risk groups

Dr Christopher Chadwick, Technical Officer Influenza Preparedness and Response, WHO Headquarter, Switzerland

09:30 – 09:40

• UAE Experience of COVID-19 vaccination and how to leverage this for future pandemics

Dr Farida Al Hosani, Executive Director Diseases Sector, Abu Dhabi Center of Public Health, United Arab Emirates

09:40 – 09:50

• Economic evaluations for influenza illness and vaccination in low- and middle-income countries. What have we learned in the last 10 years (2012 – 2021)?

Dr Kinda Zureick, Epidemiologist, Global Influenza Branch, Influenza Division, CDC, United States of America

10:00 – 10:45

Panel discussion

Dr Adham Ismail, WHO Representative, Saudi Arabia

How we can ensure equitable, affordable, timely, and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to future potential pandemic

Panelists:

Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director Programme Management , WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt
Dr Joseph Bresee, Director Respiratory Virus Prevention Programs, Center for Vaccine Equity, Task Force for Global Health
Dr Sinan Ghazi Mahdi, Manager, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Iraq
Dr Farida Al Hosani, Executive Director Infectious Diseases Sector, Abu Dhabi Center of Public Health, United Arab Emirates

10:45 – 11:00

Networking break

Session 5: Operationalizing the One Health approach: risks and collaboration opportunities for Human-Animal Health

Moderator: Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical lead for COVID-19 response/Head of Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit, WHO Headquarters, Switzerland

Presentations

11:00 – 11:10

• Global and regional threat for emerging zoonotic diseases: the role of One Health Approach

Dr Emma Gardner, Veterinary Epidemiology, MERS-CoV coordinator, Food and Agriculture Organization, Italy

11:10 – 11:20

• Integrated surveillance at human-animal interface: Available tools to enhance information sharing for better detection & response to emerging respiratory diseases

Dr Ghazi Kayali, Chief Executive Officer Human Link, United Arab Emirates

11:20 – 11:30

• Increase in global reporting of avian outbreaks and human infections, with avian influenza A viruses — 2013–2022

Dr Patrick Dawson, Team Lead, Global Influenza Branch, Influenza Division, CDC, United States of America

11:30 – 11:40

• Progress on human and animal interface: Jordan experience

Dr Ehab Basha, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan

11:40 – 11:50

• Global strategy for prevention and control of MERS: Progress and challenges

Dr Ezzuddin Okmi, WHO Collaborating Center on MERS, Saudi Arabia

12:00 – 13:00

Panel discussion

Moderator: Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical lead for COVID-19 response/Head of Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit, WHO Headquarters, Switzerland

One health approach: best strategy to reinforce pandemic preparedness – what countries in the region can do better to minimize the threat and impact of emerging respiratory diseases.

Panelists:

Dr Sophie Von Dobschuetz, Technical Lead – MERS – CoV and novel Coronaviruses, WHO Headquarter, Switzerland
Dr Emma Gardner, Veterinary Epidemiology, MERS-CoV coordinator, Food and Agriculture Organization, Italy
Dr Belinda Herring, Technical Officer, Health Emergencies Programme, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Republic of Congo
Ms Cassie Jones, Team Lead, Global Respiratory Viruses Branch of the Coronaviruses and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, CDC, United States of America
Dr Ahmed Zouiten, WHO Representative, Iraq

13:00 – 14:00

Poster exhibition

14:00 – 15:00

Lunch break

Session 6: Pandemic Influenza and other respiratory pathogens preparedness: Understanding the evolving challenges and way forward

Moderator: Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director Programme Management, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt

Presentations:

15:00 – 15:10

• Global Pandemic Preparedness: new challenges and opportunities

Dr Sylvie Briand, Director, Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, WHO Headquarter, Switzerland

15:10 – 15:20

• Mortality monitoring for assessment of impact respiratory epidemics

Dr Lasse Vestergaard, EuroMOMO, Denmark (Virtual)

15:20 – 15:30

• Integrated Pandemic Preparedness Planning for Respiratory Pathogens: a new approach of preparing next pandemic

Dr Gina Samaan, Unit Head, Unit Head, Pandemic Preparedness Global Platforms, WHO Headquarter, Switzerland

15:30 – 15:40

• Pandemic respiratory pathogens preparedness: Lebanon experience related to refugees and displaced populations

Dr Nada Ghosn, Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance Program, Ministry of Public Health, Lebanon

16:00 – 17:00

Panel discussion

Moderator: Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director Programme Management, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt

Future pandemics are inevitable: what lessons did we learn from COVID to be better prepared?

Panelists:

Prof. Maria Zambon, Director of Reference Microbiology UK Health Security Agency, UK
Dr Sylvie Briand, Director, Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, WHO Headquarter, Switzerland
Dr Mohammad Nasr Dadras, Head of the Department of Center for Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, IR Iran
Dr Magid Al Gunaid, Public Health Programs Director, EMPHNET, Jordan

17:00 – 17:15

Networking break

Closing session

17:15 – 18:00

Moderator: Dr Wasiq Khan, Team Lead, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt

Award distribution

• Dr Said Harib Al- Lamki, Under Secretary, Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman, Oman
• Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director Programme Management, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt
• Dr Sylvie Briand, Director, Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, WHO Headquarter, Switzerland
• Dr David E. Wentworth, Director, WHO Collaborating Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Control of Influenza/Chief, Virology Surveillance and Diagnosis, Influenza Division, CDC, United States of America

Next Steps for EMARIS Network

Dr Wasiq Khan, Team Lead, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt

Closing remarks and vote of thanks

H.E. Dr Said Harib Al-Lamki, Under Secretary, Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman, Oman

Closing remarks and vote of thanks

Dr Jean Jabbour, WHO representative, Oman

Closing remarks and vote of thanks

Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director Programme Management, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean