From 30 May to 2 June 2023, six Francophone countries participated in a series of workshops to get familiarized with WHO’s Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) initiative and apply the concept to draft a national respiratory pathogen pandemic preparedness plan. Supported by the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework Partnership Contribution, the workshops were organized by the WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, and included representatives from ministries of health and veterinary services from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of the Congo and Togo.
PRET is an innovative approach to improving disease pandemic preparedness. It incorporates the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established during the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent public health emergencies. PRET recognizes that the same systems, capacities, knowledge, and tools can be leveraged and applied for groups of pathogens based on their mode of transmission.
Participants from Cote d’Ivoire during a brainstorming session at the PRET Workshop for Francophone countries in the Africa Region, 30 May to 2 June 2023. Credit: WHO/AFRO
The workshop facilitators and participants recognized the importance of introducing the PRET initiative in the Africa region. They were very pleased to see that the investments made previously under pandemic influenza preparedness could now be capitalized on and expanded to other respiratory pathogens. Participants valued being part of this workshop, working side by side with experts across different disciplines, such as Emergency Operations Centre, Surveillance, Public Health Laboratory, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Veterinary Public Health, etc. An all-society approach and multisectoral collaboration are at the heart of the PRET initiative. The initiative places the principles of equity, inclusivity, and coherence at the forefront.
But the work does not stop here. The WHO PRET initiative will support countries all along the way and provide a platform for national, regional and global stakeholders to collaborate to strengthen pandemic preparedness.
See below reflections from the participants:
“Bringing different countries together for this workshop has not only catalyzed their individual pandemic preparedness planning but was also most valuable for hearing about the different experiences made while dealing with COVID-19, providing a platform for information and opinion exchange, reviewing together what worked and what could be improved.”
- Dr Camille Péneau, Workshop Facilitator, Influenza Surveillance and Laboratory Consultant, WHO Regional Office for Africa
“Côte d’Ivoire already has a pandemic influenza and a COVID-19 preparedness plan. We utilized the materials and tools presented during the PRET workshop for the Africa region to update this plan to cover respiratory pathogens more broadly. In our discussions we also ensured that the five Cs, namely Collaborative Surveillance, Community Protection, Safe and Scalable Care, Access to Countermeasures and Emergency Coordination are appropriately addressed in our new plan.”
- Dr Emilienne Eboua N’Guetta, Workshop Participant, Head of Epidemio-Surveillance in the National Institute of Public Hygiene, Còte d’Ivoire
“Most pathogens with pandemic potential are of zoonotic origin and therefore transmitted between animals and people. I very much appreciate that PRET underlines the importance of multisectoral coordination throughout the different pandemic phases, providing a tangible opportunity to strengthen implementation of the One Health approach in our countries.”
- Dr N’Kaya Tobi, Workshop Participant, Director General Livestock of the Congolese Veterinary Services
“It is important for countries in the Africa region to recognize their experiences and gaps from COVID-19 and incorporate them into respiratory pandemic preparedness planning while they are still fresh. PRET provides a practical framework on how to do this efficiently and comprehensively. We have organized such workshop for Anglophone, Francophone and will also do so for Portuguese speaking countries at the end of June 2023. The next important step is now to organize national multisectoral workshops to finalize the plan in collaboration with the other sectors and, finally, test it through simulation exercises.”
- Dr Belinda Herring, Workshop Lead, Technical Officer for Avian Influenza and PIP Framework Focal Point, WHO Regional Office for Africa
