Public Health Emergency Management

Currently, over half of the countries in the EMR are directly under the impact of one or more complex emergency, while the others are affected by displacement and are at risk of imported health problems. By the end of October 2015 , the EMR was a host to over 20 million of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 9 million refugees, mainly due to man-made and natural disasters. In a vulnerable environment, such as that of the EMR, there is an urgent need for effective public health interventions in order to decrease the probability and severity of public health emergencies in the region.

As the need for emergency preparedness in the EMR is evident, so is the need for robust public health emergency management mechanisms, in addition to including the recent advances which have been present in education and training on disaster management.

The program in Public Health Emergency Management accommodates the specific needs of countries in the EMR which are constantly encountered in public health emergencies. This program aims to fill in the regional gap in knowledge and practices related to public health interventions during emergencies as it becomes even more paramount for response.