Lima, September 12, 2025 .– The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) held a workshop entitled "Comprehensive Framework for a Program to Prevent and Control Respiratory Diseases with Epidemic and Pandemic Potential," held from September 8 to 12 with the participation of technical teams from the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA), including the National Institute of Health (INS), EsSalud, armed forces institutions, academic institutions, the Peruvian National Agricultural Health Service (SENASA), and the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).
The workshop brought together more than 40 professionals from areas such as epidemiological surveillance, laboratories, zoonoses, immunizations, and risk communication. Also present were teams from the National Center for Epidemiology, Disease Prevention and Control (CDC Peru), represented by César Munayco, and the General Directorate of Strategic Interventions in Public Health (DGIESP), led by Cristian Díaz. The activity was facilitated by the regional technical team of the PAHO/WHO Department of Health Emergencies, with support from the PAHO/WHO Office in Peru.
Prior to the in-person workshop, a virtual phase was held to analyze the country's current situation in relation to the strategic objectives: Epidemiological Surveillance, Operational Research, Prevention and Control, Pandemic Preparedness, and Risk Communication and Community Participation. As a next step, the in-person workshop involved the application of the joint WHO Respiratory Virus Surveillance Mosaic Framework and PAHO Framework for a Program on Respiratory Viruses with Epidemic and Pandemic Potential tools, in order to identify and record the progress made in the country and guide the design of an action plan for the country.
During the sessions, participants worked with scenarios and simulations of critical multisectoral situations, which allowed them to analyze national response capacity, validate collected information, and identify gaps in strategic objectives.
The application of this joint approach will provide Peru with a clear roadmap for improving surveillance systems and prevention and control policies, strengthening technical and financial collaboration with strategic partners, and consolidating greater resilience in the face of future public health threats.
The workshop is part of PAHO's efforts to support countries in the Region in implementing the Global Influenza Strategy 2019-2030 and complying with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). Through this process, PAHO reaffirms its commitment to providing technical cooperation to strengthen surveillance, prevention, and control systems for respiratory diseases in the event of potential health emergencies.
