WHO and partners activate Global Health Emergency Corps for first time in response to measles outbreak

In October 2024, WHO and partners, in collaboration with Member States, activated Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC) for the first time to support countries facing smallpox outbreaks.

GHEC is a group of experts with the aim of strengthening the response to health emergencies and a collaborative platform for countries and networks of health emergencies. It supports countries in their emergency workforce, large numbers of experts and networking of technical leaders. GHEC was established by WHO in 2023 after the response to the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the need to focus the efforts of existing networks to ensure better coordinated support to countries.

“WHO and partners are supporting the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in implementing an integrated approach to case detection, contact tracing, targeted vaccination, clinical and home care, infection prevention and control, community engagement and mobilization, and specialized logistical support,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme. “GHEC improves the ability of many effective responders at national and regional levels to collaborate and ensure success on the ground in stopping transmission and reducing suffering.”

The first activation of this new support mechanism came after WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern on August 14, 2024. Eighteen African countries have reported cases of mppox this year, and the rapid spread of clade 1b mpox in at least two other regions has raised concerns about further spread.

In collaboration with the International Association of National Institutes of Public Health, GHEC is assessing emergency workforce capacity in 8 countries affected by measles outbreaks, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, the two hardest-hit countries. The assessment has so far identified 22 areas for strengthening, including epidemiology and surveillance, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Health Cluster partners joined in strengthening the coordination established by the Ministry of Health under the leadership of the Public Health Operations Center.

As of 17 October, WHO managed the deployment of 56 experts to the affected countries. This includes WHO staff as well as experts mobilized through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and the African Volunteer Health Corps (AVoHC-SURGE). AVoHC-SURGE responders, coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Africa and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are a growing cohort of professionals with diverse skill sets who can be deployed across the region.

“By mobilizing trained experts from the continent, we ensure that responses are not only timely, but also contextually relevant,” said Dr Abdou Salam Gueye, Regional Director for Emergencies at the WHO Regional Office for Africa. “The dedication and expertise of these staff are critical to saving lives and building resilient healthcare systems capable of withstanding future threats.”

In addition, GOARN is leading efforts to map support provided by partners on a bilateral basis to affected countries and a regional coordination structure. This includes the provision of experts, supplies, financial support, capacity building and other activities.

As part of the GHEC activation, on October 22, technical leaders from affected countries and leaders from other countries, including those who have experienced previous measles outbreaks, gathered to discuss the most effective control measures, share best practices and coordinate their efforts in stopping the outbreak of the epidemic.

Note to editors:

GHEC was established by the WHO in 2023 in response to gaps and challenges identified during the response to COVID-19. It supports countries in crisis situations in public health through three key pillars:

• Ambulance workforce assessment: GHEC conducts assessments of emergency workforce capacity in affected countries to identify gaps and challenges impeding an effective response.
• Rapid deployment of surge capacities: Countries can request support from different groups of experts with specific skill sets tailored to the identified needs. These experts can be rapidly deployed to affected countries to support emergency response.
• Leading network: Countries appoint representatives who liaise with other leaders to share best practices and coordinate responses. Facilitators include representatives from national public health agencies, national emergency operations centers, or other disease experts.