Egypt Boosts Disease Surveillance with WHO-Led Vaccine Monitoring Training

In a proactive stride toward bolstering its public health infrastructure, the Government of Egypt, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, conducted an intensive four-day training workshop aimed at strengthening Egypt’s surveillance system for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Held from July 20 to 23, 2025, the workshop drew participation from disease surveillance officers across 13 governorates and was hosted under the technical guidance of Egypt’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) within the Ministry of Health and Population, with crucial funding support from the Pandemic Fund.

Why Strengthening Surveillance Matters

Vaccine-preventable diseases—such as measles, rubella, polio, and diphtheria—remain persistent threats to public health if not vigilantly monitored. An effective surveillance system acts as the first line of defense, offering timely, evidence-based data to detect, track, and respond to these diseases before they lead to outbreaks.

Egypt, with its central role in regional health security, is particularly at risk due to ongoing conflicts and humanitarian crises in neighboring countries like Sudan, Libya, Gaza, and Syria, where weakened health systems have impaired disease monitoring and vaccination services. These vulnerabilities pose a significant risk of cross-border disease transmission. Hence, strengthening Egypt’s domestic capacity to detect early warning signals is more critical than ever.

Workshop Highlights: Equipping the Frontline

Over the course of four days, participants engaged in simulation exercises, scenario planning, and data analysis workshops, all designed to enhance their capabilities in:

• Early detection of vaccine-preventable diseases

• Standardized reporting and data collection procedures

• Implementation of real-time alert mechanisms

• Outbreak investigation techniques

• Risk communication during public health emergencies

• Understanding and applying the latest VPD surveillance guidelines

The training also included an in-depth review of updated protocols aligned with Egypt’s national surveillance framework, integrating lessons from recent outbreaks, including COVID-19, polio resurgence in parts of the Middle East, and measles flare-ups globally.

WHO’s Regional Vision for Surveillance

Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, in a statement accompanying the event, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to building regional resilience in public health surveillance. She emphasized that, “As health systems are increasingly tested by pandemics, conflicts, and climate-related crises, investing in frontline capacity-building remains essential to saving lives and preventing disease spread.”

The WHO Country Office in Egypt, under the leadership of Dr. Naeema Al-Gasseer, continues to play a pivotal role in collaborating with the Ministry of Health to harmonize surveillance approaches, provide technical expertise, and integrate digital innovations into Egypt’s health infrastructure.

Pandemic Fund’s Role in Health Systems Strengthening

The training was funded by the Pandemic Fund, a global financing initiative created to help low- and middle-income countries build robust health emergency preparedness systems. Egypt is among several priority countries receiving grants to modernize epidemiological surveillance and early warning systems.

These resources are helping Egypt invest in training, technology upgrades, and cross-sectoral coordination, bridging gaps that became starkly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking Forward: Sustaining the Gains

The surveillance training is part of a larger effort to transform Egypt’s immunization and disease monitoring ecosystem. The Ministry of Health and WHO are expected to scale similar workshops to all 27 governorates, ensuring uniform training and deployment of digital reporting tools.

Additionally, Egypt plans to:

• Expand integration of laboratory data into surveillance systems

• Launch community-based reporting networks in underserved areas

• Enhance cross-border information sharing with neighboring countries

• Incorporate machine learning algorithms for predictive outbreak modeling

Final Word: A Proactive Shield for Public Health

By investing in surveillance training, Egypt is not just responding to current threats but also future-proofing its health system. With this initiative, healthcare workers are better equipped, data systems are being standardized, and early response capacities are being dramatically improved.

This WHO-led workshop marks a meaningful step forward in ensuring that every Egyptian—regardless of location or background—can be protected from preventable diseases, through timely action and coordinated public health measures.