Challenges

There is a need to improve coordinated response through regional alignment in planning and implementing measures in response to public health threats. During emergencies, existing national public health surveillance systems may be underperforming, disrupted, or nonexistent, or they may become overwhelmed without an early warning system to detect and react rapidly to suspected disease outbreaks.

Evidence from national data shows vast differences in how many tests are conducted per 100,000 people across CAREC member countries, as well as vast differences in national capacity for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and ability to keep surveillance testing capacity in line with escalating pandemic developments.