Context Disease outbreaks and natural and man-made disasters pose severe threats to public health all over the world. Outbreak control, preparedness and response to public health emergencies are therefore needed on a global scale. The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) is a partnership established by the World Health…
Context During the fight to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, many essential health services and operations have been negatively impacted. For example, progress in reducing TB-related morbidity and mortality has been significantly hindered because vital prevention and control mechanisms have been disrupted. Consequently, TB case detection and reporting decreased substantially, and…
Context The strengthening of national public health institutions (NPHIs) is an essential component of global health protection. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) have been working together on issues related to global health security for more than a decade. In 2019, a…
Context Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the leading causes of death worldwide, with approximately 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019. AMR knows no borders and is internationally recognised as a threat to global health, making it a high public health priority. All countries must collaborate globally to…
Context In recent years, there have been efforts to upscale HIV treatment and prevention in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including conducting studies among men who have sex with men (MSM). One commonly used method to recruit participants for these studies has been respondent-driven sampling. However, this…
Context In the globalised world of the 21st century, public health emergencies are of international concern, as health threats spread easily and rapidly across borders and continents. To ensure the world is prepared and able to respond to potential threats, the International Health Regulations (IHR) were launched in 2005 as…
Context The treatment of tuberculosis (TB) is complex and often requires patients to follow long and extensive treatment protocols. This is especially true of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), which is one of the most urgent problems facing TB control in Eastern Europe. As any interruption of treatment can jeopardise effective (DR-)…
Context The COVID-19 pandemic put a heavy strain on many public health systems, which had to deal with high numbers of severely ill people and deaths and with challenges regarding vaccination and medical supplies. The Balkan region was seriously affected by the pandemic, highlighting the importance of strengthening preparedness and…
Context Despite important progress in therapy and prevention, HIV and viral hepatitis are still a major health threat in the WHO European Region. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released action plans with specific targets to eliminate and control these diseases, which are being translated…