Countries of the Americas adopt roadmap to strengthen preparedness and response to health emergencies.

Cali, Colombia, 12 September 2025 - Representatives from the International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Points (NFPs), the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) Emergency Contact Points (ECPs), and the Pan American Health Organization's regional genomic surveillance networks (PAHOGen) met this week in Cali, Colombia, to reinforce collaboration and information-sharing mechanisms that are critical for timely detection and response to public health emergencies.

The three-day joint meeting, organized by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and funded by the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid (SILC), focused on strengthening national and regional capacities for preparedness, detection, verification, notification, and response to health emergencies. The gathering brought together participants from across the Americas, including national health authorities, IHR National Focal Point, food safety experts, and delegates of genomic surveillance networks.

Building on lessons learned from recent emergencies

The COVID-19 pandemic and other recent outbreaks including MPOX, avian influenza, Oropouche, yellow fever, among others, highlighted the urgent need for coordinated multisectoral action for the detection and response to events that could threaten public health. Rapid pathogen detection and characterization, combined with robust intersectoral collaboration with efficient communication flows, are essential for effective implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005).

During the meeting, participants reviewed the events notified and verified by the National IHR since the IHR entered into force in 2007, including the time of detection and the top ten risks over the last decades. The group also examined how collaboration among different sectors and the establishment of communication protocols could reduce the time required to detect and report events, thereby shortening the overall response time.

"This meeting demonstrated the power of collaboration across sectors. By connecting health, food safety, and laboratory networks, the Region is better prepared to detect threats early and respond more effectively," said Maria Almiron, head of Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment Unit

Strengthening surveillance and genomic capacity

In recent years, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has supported Member States in enhancing laboratory sequencing capacity and genomic surveillance to detect and track pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. The meeting reviewed progress within PAHOGen networks, including PulseNet Latin America and the Caribbean, ReLAVRA+, ViGendA, and ResViGen, and discussed future priorities for regional genomic surveillance, such as wastewater and environmental monitoring.

Jairo Mendez-Rico, Regional Advisor for Viral Diseases of the Infectious Hazards Management Unit highlighted that "Strengthening genomic surveillance and ensuring information flows seamlessly between countries is a shared responsibility. The progress achieved here provides a strong basis for regional cooperation moving forward."

Toward a regional roadmap

Through plenary and group sessions, participants shared experiences, analyzed case studies, and identified best practices to improve multisectoral collaboration. Outcomes of the meeting included:

• Concrete proposals and coordination mechanisms among IHR NFPs, INFOSAN ECPs, and PAHOGen networks.
• A regional agenda to strengthen collaboration and information-sharing in the Americas.
• Operational recommendations to improve information flows and institutional coordination during public health events.
• Exchange of experiences among IHR NFP in the Americas Region

Strengthening connections among health, food safety, and laboratory networks, the joint meeting contributed to the regional Strategy on Epidemic Intelligence for Strengthening Early Warning of Health Emergencies 2024-2029. It also supported implementation of the Regional Genomic Surveillance Strategy for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

Colin Shepard, Chief Medical Officer of SILC, said, "Bringing together the health and food safety sectors builds an essential foundation for regional preparedness and resilience-one that we trust will help protect the health of the Americas region."

Highlights

• Over 150 participants from health authorities, food safety institutions, and laboratory networks in the Americas took part.
• The meeting facilitated the discussion of the first joint action protocol linking IHR NFPs, INFOSAN ECPs, and genomic surveillance networks.
• Countries shared case studies on multisectoral collaboration in detecting and responding to outbreaks.
• Regional genomic networks presented progress on sequencing, surveillance, and environmental monitoring.
• Agreement reached on a regional roadmap to reinforce epidemic intelligence and preparedness.