May 2, 2025 (MACHAKOS COUNTY, Kenya): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), through its Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PREPARE) Project funded by the Pandemic Fund, successfully concluded a five-day Cascaded Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) Training for frontline One Health staff working in cross-border regions. The training was held at Maanzoni Hotel in Machakos County, Kenya.
This strategic training brought together surveillance officers and public health experts from border districts of Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan, alongside technical representatives from IGAD, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa CDC, and AFENET.
The primary objective was to build the operational capacities of frontline personnel to detect, verify, and respond to public health events in cross-border areas—high-risk zones for the emergence and spread of epidemic and pandemic threats. Participants were equipped with practical tools and knowledge in Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) management, Incident Management System (IMS), risk communication, emergency coordination, and the One Health approach.
During the opening session, dignitaries and experts from IGAD, IFRC, WHO, Africa CDC, and the Government of Kenya underscored the importance of strengthening regional early warning systems and emergency coordination, especially in border communities where diseases can rapidly cross national boundaries. They reaffirmed that regional collaboration is a cornerstone of effective pandemic preparedness and response.
The training employed interactive methods, including tabletop simulations, group discussions, and case-based learning, to foster practical understanding and readiness. Participants were urged to cascade the training to national and community levels, helping to institutionalize PHEM systems and support a multi-sectoral response framework.
This initiative is part of IGAD’s broader regional agenda under the PREPARE Project to operationalize cross-border and One Health approaches to pandemic preparedness across its seven Member States—Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda—in alignment with global and continental health security frameworks.
