To equip health care professionals, lab practitioners and public health officials with the skills they need, ECHO partners are leading special sessions and online events to share mpox-specific best practices in prevention, detection and response measures. These efforts are currently spearheaded by: the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine, the National Institute of Public Health Cote D’Ivoire, the Sudanese American Medical Association and the World Health Organization.
“To prevent mpox from spreading further, we need to take swift action by sharing knowledge and resources. It’s encouraging to see that African health agencies are already using innovative methods to quickly respond to these outbreaks,” says Caroline Kisia, Project ECHO’s Africa director, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
The learning networks that Project ECHO built in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic have proven to be flexible and scalable, making for emergency preparedness and response worldwide. ECHO was critical in supporting the response to the Ebola in Uganda; and training front line health workers in trauma care in Sudan and Ukraine.
An electron microscopic image of mpox virus particles obtained from a clinical sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. It was a thin section image from a human skin sample. Photo Credit: Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regnery, provided by the CDC’s Public Health Image Library
Building on this expertise, in 2023, Project ECHO was designated as the first WHO Collaborating Centre for Digital Learning in Health Emergencies to boost global capacity for emergency response by sharing the latest knowledge and resources. As a collaborating center, Project ECHO supports workforce capacity building and delivers synchronous digital learning solutions for health emergencies to WHO’s headquarters, regions, countries and special units.
“Mpox outbreaks highlight the critical need for rapid, global collaboration in public health. Through Project ECHO, we are empowering health care workers with the knowledge and tools they need to respond swiftly and effectively, no matter where they are. Our commitment is to ensure that no community faces these challenges alone, as we continue to share expertise and build capacity,” says Dr. Bruce Struminger, director of global health initiatives at Project ECHO.
As the mpox public health emergency continues to evolve, Project ECHO is committed to helping governments and communities with fast, low-cost and scalable solutions to effectively respond to the emergency.
To access up to date resources or mpox programs offered by Project ECHO or our partners, visit the WHO Collaborating Center for Digital Learning in Health Emergencies.
Photo Credit: The featured image in this story was captured by photographer Mme Yao Chantal in Côte d’Ivoire for Project ECHO.