Disaster and health experts from nine African nations convened in Nairobi, Kenya, for a five-day planning workshop on Pandemic Influenza Response from August 31 to September 4, 2009. Sponsored and facilitated by U.S. Africa Command through its Pandemic Response Program (PRP), the event was hosted by the Golden Spear Regional Disaster Management Center of Excellence in Nairobi.
Delegations from Burundi, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda attended, including both civil and military officials involved in disaster and pandemic planning in their respective countries. Representatives from the United Nations, Red Cross, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Army Medical Research Unit – Kenya, and regional African health organizations also participated.
The workshop featured a series of topical briefings during the morning sessions, followed by country-specific planning sessions facilitated by the UN, Red Cross, World Health Organization, and Africa Command personnel. Highlights included:
- Pandemic Influenza updates by the World Health Organization
- Roles and Responsibilities of the Regional Disaster Management Center of Excellence
- Logistics and Transportation by the United Nations World Food Program
- Strategic Communications presented by the International Federation of the Red Cross
- Capability briefs by the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs and the East Central and Southern Africa Health Community
Africa Command’s role and objectives in assisting African militaries with pandemic response planning under the USAID Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness (H2P) initiative are:
- To create opportunities for senior and mid-level military leaders to train in disaster management, humanitarian assistance, and pandemic preparedness
- To assist partner nations in assessing their pandemic influenza preparedness and response baseline
- To help national authorities and their military validate roles and responsibilities within the National Pandemic Response Plan
- To provide a mechanism for partner nations to understand the roles of the international community (international organizations, NGOs, regional governments) in managing a pandemic response
- To promote interoperability and enhance the capability of host nations to respond to complex humanitarian emergencies
- To identify national and regional opportunities for improvement that will aid in developing a multi-country response to pandemics and all hazards
- To provide a mechanism for testing military response plans at the national, local, and regional levels
In addition to working with individual nations to develop response plans, PRP focuses on regional collaboration in the event of a complex emergency such as a pandemic. This workshop marked the first regional activity, thanks to the partnership with the Regional Disaster Management Center of Excellence in Nairobi, Kenya. A second regional activity is scheduled for December in West Africa, including participants from Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Liberia, and Nigeria.
The work that U.S. Africa Command provides in pandemic response planning is directly dependent on the national needs of African partners. The planning conducted during this workshop will help U.S. Africa Command continue to improve program engagement processes. According to a U.S. Africa Command official, the recent H1N1 outbreak underscores the critical importance of a holistic approach to mitigating the effects of a complex emergency. The workshop raises awareness of this crucial topic and serves as a collaborative forum, bringing together civilian and military personnel and international health experts to develop regional and national response plans.
