An initiative to safeguard the health of Kyrgyzstan’s citizens amid growing global health challenges is underway in the country.
The Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness Programme involves the Government of Kyrgyzstan, World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and other organizations.
Key areas addressed by the effort include tracking and reducing antimicrobial resistance, monitoring zoonotic diseases, strengthening national laboratory systems and disease surveillance, building capacity within the health-care workforce, developing risk communication and community engagement strategies, and bolstering health emergency management.
At its core, the initiative adopts the “One Health” approach, which emphasizes the interconnection of human, animal and environmental health. This strategy entails close collaboration between various governmental bodies, including the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Regional Development; and the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision.
United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Lesslie Viguerie, highlighted the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation, saying “Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful country where people, animals, environment, agriculture and culture are closely intertwined, and we need to work together across sectors to contribute to a stronger, healthier and more resilient nation”.
Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to the global health security agenda has been underscored by it becoming the first country among the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region to conduct the second round of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) – a voluntary, collaborative process to assess country capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health risks.
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