Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) pose a significant threat to global health security; they can potentially lead to a high number of fatalities and major social and economic losses. The outbreaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Ebola Virus Disease, and Avian Influenza (H5N1) have triggered the global community to strengthen their EID preparedness.
WHO Indonesia has been supporting the Ministry of Health (MoH) in running EID risk mapping workshops in seven provinces across Indonesia (East Java, Banten, North Sumatra, West Java, North Sulawesi, Lampung, and South Sumatra) since 2008. This year, in line with the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) to improve the capacity for detection and response to potential public health emergencies, WHO assisted MoH with three EID risk mapping workshops. One in Bekasi, West Java (7-9 August), another in Manado, North Sulawesi (21-23 August) and a third workshop hosted in Riau, West Sumatra (16-17 October).
In a decentralized setting with various capacities and differing socio-cultural and geographical challenges, the EID risks are different in each district. To help overcome this, experts, including the Indonesian Epidemiologists’ Association, have started creating an EID risk mapping tool for MERS-CoV, Polio, and Diphtheria. The tool was developed during a pilot workshop in 2018, and was further refined during the workshop in Manado in August this year when multisectoral stakeholders from nearby provinces and districts used the tool and available information from different sectors to conduct risk mapping and analysis.
The analysis and discussion considered the following factors:
(1) hazards, which include the severity of diseases, clinical manifestation, availability of medicine for treatment and vaccine;
(2) exposure, including disease transmissions, population immunity; and
(3) context and capacity of government and community to prevent, detect, and cope with EIDs.
Indonesia’s geographic location allows the archipelago to be a prosperous international travel hub, however, it also increases Indonesia’s risks to the introduction of EIDs. Indonesia’s richness in biodiversity and various socio-cultural practices make the nation highly prone to zoonosis EIDs such as Avian Influenza and rabies that can transfer from animals to humans. Profiling EID risk is essential to identify gaps and guide better preparedness practices.
These risk-mapping workshops serve as milestones in bringing together multisectoral stakeholders to improve local and national EID preparedness. Going forward, the MoH will expand the risk mapping tools to cover even more EIDs and provinces.
| |