Egypt has maintained its polio-free status despite high and frequent population movement from polio-affected countries, a result of its strong routine immunization coverage and well-established surveillance system.
To sustain this achievement requires continuous strengthening of early detection and rapid-response capacities. To support this, 68 technical staff from the Ministry of Health and Population, including participants from all 27 governorates, took part in a 3-day simulation exercise and field visits to assess the system’s readiness to detect and respond to disease events early.
The exercise was organized by WHO Egypt and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunization at the Ministry of Health and Population, and with support from the Pandemic Fund.
“Simulation exercises are among the most effective tools for strengthening preparedness and coordination. The participants showed strong technical competence and coordination throughout the exercise,” said Dr Menna Shehata, Public Health Officer at WHO Egypt.
During the simulation exercise, participants were divided into functional groups and exposed to progressively more severe polio outbreak scenarios to test coordination among groups, identify roles and responsibilities and assess response challenges. Field investigation, including social mapping, risk of spread and sources of infection, is a critical component in developing an appropriate response plan. Working through a simulated scenario, the groups mirrored what could happen during a real-life response.
The exercise concluded with a facilitated debriefing session in which participants identified practical recommendations to further strengthen preparedness and response capacities.
“Polio eradication is a regional priority, and sustaining it requires every country to maintain the highest standards of surveillance and response readiness. This exercise reflects exactly the kind of proactive investment to respond on time and appropriately to any poliovirus importation,” said Dr Magdy Sayed from the Incident Management Team for Polio Outbreaks at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
By testing systems in a realistic setting the simulation exercise helped to strengthen Egypt’s preparedness and response efforts to maintain its polio-free status and reinforce the country’s broader public health emergency preparedness.
