The first meeting of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) in the WHO European region - in the Presidential Library

The Presidential Library hosts the First meeting of institutions-partners of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) in the European region.

The meeting, which brought together more than 100 participants from 27 countries, is held under the chairmanship of the head of Rospotrebnadzor, chief state sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation Anna Popova and the Director of the Program in the field of health emergencies and infectious diseases, WHO Regional Office for Europe Nedret Emiroglu. In the grand opening of the meeting took part the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Olga Kazanskaya.

During the first day participants, representing leading Russian, European and other world research institutions and organizations involved in preparedness and response in situations of outbreaks of infections, discussed GOARN importance for the European region and its role in the implementation of the WHO Program for the Prevention and Response of emergency of sanitary-epidemiological nature. It was also held a detailed discussion on the current challenges and threats to human health posed by infectious diseases.

The Secretariat presented a review of recent GOARN network missions on Emergency Response of sanitary-epidemiological nature in the world.

Rospotrebnadzor, as a co-organizer of the meeting, provided a review of the national system of prevention of epidemics and capacity building activities to prevent and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, as well as for the implementation of the WHO projects aimed at the implementation of the International Health Regulations and the fight against epidemics, supported by the Government of the Russian Federation.

In his speech, the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova said that the recent outbreak of Ebola has demonstrated the need to reform the global architecture to respond to the threat of communicable diseases, and improving international cooperation mechanisms for the effective management of epidemiological risks. The work of the World Health Organization with the participating countries, according to the Russian side's opinion, should be built systematically, validation of their scientific and practical capacities (human, technical, laboratory, transport, medical devices, and others), it should take place in advance of a possible crisis situation, such as Ebola outbreak.

According to the Russian side, the basic principles of attracting resources of the countries - members of GOARN to respond under the auspices of WHO and GOARN must be efficiency, transparency, adequacy and effective coordination.

Rospotrebnadzor shared goals and objectives of GOARN network on the expansion at the expense of Russian scientific institutions. Today GOARN system has two research institutes of Rospotrebnadzor, but the potential of the Russian side, having a system of experience in the aftermath of dangerous infectious diseases, disproportionately, and the Russian Federation is ready to increase its participation in GOARN, as requested by the WHO.

Dr. Nedret Emiroglu, confirming this thesis, said that the world needs to be strengthened by GOARN, and the success of the global network is impossible without the work of Russian-speaking experts and institutions from the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. According to the WHO, the current reform of the organization aimed at improving the efficiency of its work to prepare for emergency sanitary-epidemiological and response to crises caused by epidemics, implies a better use of existing resources of the countries - members of the GOARN, including through GOARN, providing vertically an integrated approach to their mobilization and coordination.

It should be noted that the first meeting of partner agencies of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network at the WHO European region is organized jointly with Rospotrebnadzor. The event takes place in the framework of a joint project funded by the Russian Government, to assist needy countries in the implementation of the International Health Regulations and capacity building to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of dangerous infections.

The purpose of the meeting is to strengthen international cooperation to combat the emergency sanitary-epidemiological nature and capacity of the national, regional and global in the field of risk assessment capabilities, management, communication and response in situations of outbreaks of dangerous infections.