Global Health & Humanitarian Medicine Lunchtime Seminar Series: Early Warning and Response in Global Health Emergencies

Dr. Elaine Fung Yan Ning, Awardee of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute Overseas Training Fellowship for Healthcare Professionals, was invited by CCOUC to deliver a lunchtime seminar on “Early Warning and Response in Global Health Emergencies” to the staff and students of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on 12 December 2018.

Dr. Fung started her seminar with an introduction to WHO Health Emergencies Programme and International Health Regulation. She emphasized the importance of the Health Emergency Programme through the history of the International Health Regulation, in order to prevent and respond to cross-border public health risks. She also shared the theory and practice under health emergencies information and risk assessment, such as the early warning and response system and the data cycle. Furthermore, based on her previous experience in information and risk assessment, she summarized some challenges the programme might face. These include the subjective analysis due to broad range of geopolitical socioeconomic considerations and lack of vigorous field investigation, and political barriers.

Dr. Fung concluded her seminar by sharing the health emergency gaps she had observed. These include the gaps in emergency health research, Hong Kong emergency preparedness and collaborations with INGOs.