Head of SEEHN Secretariat, Dr. Mira Jovanovski – Dasic, participated at the two-day workshop devoted to Pandemic Preparedness Planning, organized on 12 – 13 July in Sofia, Bulgaria by SECID SEEHN Regional Health Development Center (RHDC) on communicable diseases, with the support of CDC Atlanta and WHO. Around 40 epidemiologists, surveillance and laboratory professionals, Ministry personnel, emergency response and immunization team members and communication specialists took part at this event, which was the third and final part of the project. The workshops’ objectives were to assist participants in identifying gaps to support the pandemic plan revision, develop concrete steps to build capacities to fill those gaps, and provide results and information on the experience to support WHO work in updating global pandemic guidance and tools. It provided the participants with the space and time to follow-up on the knowledge of performing SWOT analysis, pinpoint crucial gaps, and update the present strategy. Participants left the workshop with an assessment of their current pandemic preparedness plans’ potential and strength, as well as with the strategies for revision and capacity growth.
