Protecting and Improving Public Health in Pakistan: Strengthening and Sustaining Public Health Impact, Systems, Capacity, and Security

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to assist the National Public Health Institute of Pakistan meet key International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) requirements for the country through implementation of GHSA. CDC seeks to work with Pakistan to achieve goals in three focus areas: Preventing avoidable epidemics by ensuring integrated surveillance systems are in place to monitor and slow antimicrobial resistance, develop and implement a whole-of-government national laboratory and biosecurity system, minimize spillover of emerging and zoonotic disease to human populations and increase immunization coverage. Detecting threats early though real-time biosurveillance and effective modern diagnostics; improving surveillance systems and creating interoperable, interconnected electronic reporting systems; strengthen laboratory systems to detect and characterize pathogens; and a trained workforce, including trained epidemiologists, physicians, veterinarians, biostatisticians, and laboratory scientists. Responding rapidly and effectively by ensuring that Pakistan’s detection efforts guide response, building local emergency response expertise including linkages to law enforcement and development of multi-sectoral rapid response teams, improving access to countermeasures during emergencies, creating interconnected robust public health emergency management (EM) programs, including strengthening the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) structure.

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