WHO In October 2024, WHO and partners, in collaboration with Member States, activated the Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC) for the first time to provide support to countries facing mpox outbreaks.
GHEC is a grouping of professionals with the objective of strengthening the response to health emergencies, and a collaboration platform for countries and health emergency networks. It supports countries on their health emergency workforce, the surge deployment of experts and the networking of technical leaders. GHEC was established by WHO in 2023 after the response to the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the need to streamline efforts of existing networks to ensure better-coordinated support to countries.
“WHO and partners are supporting the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries to implement an integrated approach to case detection, contact tracing, targeted vaccination, clinical and home care, infection prevention and control, community engagement and mobilization, and specialized logistical support,” said Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. “The GHEC enhances the ability of the many effective responders at national and regional levels to collaborate and ensure the success on the ground in interrupting transmission and reducing suffering.”