Brasilia, January 29, 2025 – The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Brazilian Ministry of Health conducted a training on international outbreak response, in the city of Brasilia, Brazil. This event, held on January 27, was attended by 35 experts from GOARN partner institutions interested to engage with the network and participate in international missions.
The training was designed for public health experts with experience in national emergencies but limited or no experience in international responses. “Our goal was to stimulate interest and ensure a more effective participation of Brazilian experts in international responses, thus contributing to a stronger global health,” stated Alexander Rosewell, Coordinator of the Health Emergencies, Evidence, and Intelligence team at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) office in Brazil.
The training was conducted by international and Brazilian experts who previously participated in GOARN missions, and included presentations, exercises and discussions. “This is the first GOARN training conducted solely in Portuguese. We have been working intensively to further expand our operations and strengthen collaboration with Portuguese-speaking institutions,” said Armand Bejtullahu, GOARN manager a.i. at WHO’s Alert and Response Coordination Department.
The instructors also presented participants with the opportunities, processes, and challenges of working as part of a multidisciplinary international public health emergency response team, contributing to GOARN’s mission.
GOARN was established in 2000 by WHO to facilitate rapid alerts and responses to infectious diseases and ensure the availability of technical assistance to support affected populations. It is comprised of over 300 technical institutions worldwide, including the Department of Public Health Emergency (DEMSP) of the Secretariat of Health Surveillance and Environment (SVSA) in Brazil’s Ministry of Health.
Edenilo Barreira, Director of DEMSP, emphasized the importance of the department's involvement in the GOARN network. “It represents recognition of the country’s capacity in preparedness, surveillance, and response to public health emergencies.”
The following institutions in Brazil are also part of GOARN: Associação Brasileira de Profissionais de Epidemiologia de Campo (ProEpi), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Instituto Evandro Chagas (IEC) and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). GOARN and PAHO are interested in identifying additional Brazilian organizations and networks that could join GOARN and contribute to its global strategy.
Andrea Vicari, Chief of PAHO's Infectious Hazard Management Unit at PAHO headquarters, highlighted that Brazil, with its institutions that are GOARN partners and PAHO/WHO collaborating centers in the country, has great potential to make significant contributions to emergency preparedness and response, both regionally and globally. “This initiative offers a valuable opportunity to channel existing technical capacities within a regional and global framework, addressing the challenges and complexities that arise in emergency responses.”
In recent years, the network has mobilized experts to respond to various public health events in the Americas Region, including the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009, the cholera epidemic in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, the zika virus epidemic in 2015 and 2016, yellow fever outbreaks since 2017, and the COVID-19 pandemic, among others.
