A World United Against Infectious Diseases: Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance
A World United Against Infectious Diseases: Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance from RockefellerFound
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- 1. Emerging Health Threats Journal A World United Against Infectious Diseases: Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance Supplement 1, 2013 Co-Edited by Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Louise S. Gresham and Mark S. Smolinski
- 2. Emerging Health Threats Journal The Emerging Health Threats Journal is an international, peer-reviewed journal publishing the latest and best research on emerging threats to human health. Its focus is threats from any source, including the environment, chemicals, radiation, pathogens, and society. It welcomes papers on the preparedness and response to natural or man-made disasters, including those that involve the deliberate release of chemical, biological, or radio-nuclear material. Content will be determined by novelty and scope of the threat, and by scientific excellence. The Journal welcomes investigative studies that promote the understanding of factors involved in the emergence, prevention, and elimination of health threats. Articles on lessons learned from disaster and crisis response are particularly encouraged. The Journal seeks high-quality submissions from academic, industrial, clinical practice, public health, and government research and planning sectors of original research articles, reviews, policy reviews, lessons learned, commentaries, and perspectives on emerging threats to human health. EDITORIAL TEAM Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Robertson Western Australian Department of Health Australia Phone: +61 (08)92222277 Email: andrew.robertson@health.wa.gov.au EDITORIAL BOARD Roy Anderson, United Kingdom Mahdi Balali-Mood, Islamic Republic of Iran Peter George Blain, United Kingdom Peter Borriello, United Kingdom David Brown, United Kingdom Jane Cardosa, Malaysia Andrew Dobson, United States Gerry Fitzgerald, Australia Nathaniel Hupert, United States Gerald Keusch, United States Susanna K.P. Lau, China Stanley Lemon, United States Nigel Lightfoot, United States Barry Schoub, South Africa Pat Troop, United Kingdom Alain Jacques Valleron, France Patrick Woo, Hong Kong PUBLICATION INFORMATION Emerging Health Threats Journal, eISSN 1752-8550 (online), Supplements eISSN 1752-8550 (online), 2001-1350 (print), is an Open Access journal and applies the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Under this license, copyright is retained by the author who grants to users the right to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and copy articles for any non-commercial purpose as long as the original author(s) and source are properly cited. No permission is required from the publishers or author(s). All articles are posted online immediately they are ready for publication and will be assigned a DOI number (Digital Object Identifier) whereby they become searchable and citable without delay. Emerging Health Threats Journal full text articles are accessible via the journal’s website at http://www.eht-journal.net as well as via international search engines such as Google Scholar. Emerging Health Threats Journal is indexed/tracked/covered by the following services: Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), Current Abstracts (EBSCO), Directory of Open Access Journals, EMBASE, EMcare, Index Copernicus, JournalSeek, Open J-Gate, PubMed Central/PubMed, SafetyLit, Scopus To submit manuscripts and for information about publication fees, see http://www.eht-journal.net For information on reprints, advertisements and other commercial sales, please contact info@co-action.net Typeset by Datapage (India) Private Limited, Chennai, India Printed and bound by Hobbs the Printer, Southampton, UK Cover image credited to: Katherine C. Bond Board from responsible sources FSC® C020438 MIX ® The paper used in this publication contains pulp sourced from forests independently certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) principles and criteria. Chain of custody certification allows the pulp from these forests to be tracked to the end use (see www.fsc-uk.org).
- 3. A World United Against Infectious Diseases: Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) Emerging Health Threats Journal ÁSupplement 1, 2013 Co-Edited by Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Louise S. Gresham and Mark S. Smolinski
- 4. Acknowledgements The editors of this Emerging Health Threats Journal supplement express their extreme gratitude to the Rockefeller Foundation for hosting the original convening of authors at the Bellagio Conference Center, Italy, sparking this ambitious body of work; to the authors for their insight into surveillance and innovation around the world; to Dr. Leslie A. Pray for reviewing the manuscripts and providing expert critical analysis of the papers and for her consistent style of expert editing and patience; and to the honorable reviewers from across the world. We thank the Nuclear Threat Initiative, as Interim Executive Secretariat of Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS), for overseeing the process of creating this supplement and the Skoll Global Threats Fund, Fondation Me´rieux and Fondation Me´rieux, USA for providing resources for the production of the supplement. Finally, we thank the Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2013 for the opportunity to share the rich experiences of regional disease surveillance networks at the global forum on AWorld United Against Infectious Diseases for which this supplement was commissioned.
- 5. The world has made significant strides in tackling major public health challenges over the last several decades. We have eradicated one disease, smallpox, and are close to doing so with polio and guinea worm. We continue to make significant progress on other debilitating illnesses, including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Yet, even as our technology and practices improve, new threats arise. In the last two decades, we have seen some 30 new zoonotic diseases emerge, from SARS to hantavirus to Ebola and more. Population pressures and economic growth push humans into ever closer contact with animals, disturbing ecosystems, and creating ripe condi- tions for new pathogens to jump from animals to humans. Add to this the incredible growth in global travel and trade and the risk of new diseases quickly spreading worldwide has never been greater. So while our ability to respond continually improves, the challenges we face increase as well. Many factors make up the successful fight against emerging infectious diseases. But one factor trumps all* early detection and rapid identification of novel infec- tions. If we can find a new pathogen early, we can often isolate it to the area in which it emerges. Conversely, failure to find the disease early allows the pathogen to propagate to new regions, countries and continents, making the response much more difficult and costly. Imagine if we had found HIV/AIDS when it was still contained to its region of origin*many of today’s 35 million people infected worldwide would have never been exposed. Our tools of detection, including point-of-care diagnostics and digital surveillance, continue to improve. However, the global infectious disease surveillance sys- tem is disjointed. Practices and protocols vary, and inefficiencies abound. The initiative we are jointly supporting*Connecting Organizations for Regional Dis- ease Surveillance (CORDS)*tackles this challenge by building trust and collaboration across national borders. CORDS unites regional disease surveillance networks from critical hotspots around the world to promote exchanges of best practices in surveillance and catalyze innovation in early disease detection. By working to- gether with international bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (IOE), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CORDS will speed the development, capabilities and sustainability of all its network members to improve global surveillance and mitigate the potential impact of disease outbreaks both from epidemic diseases and from the recrudescence of endemic diseases. Each of our organizations comes to this issue with equal commitment but different perspectives Á ranging from global health to disaster management to biosecurity and more. We are all united in our dedication to this effort, which fills a critical gap in global public health capacity. We look forward to CORDS contributing to improve health outcomes worldwide. Sincerely, Judith Rodin President The Rockefeller Foundation Sam Nunn Co-Chairman and CEO Nuclear Threat Initiative Benoit Miribel Director General Fondation Me´rieux Larry Brilliant President and CEO Skoll Global Threats Fund æLETTER
- 6. The revised International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR), which entered into force in May, 2007, imposed a duty on every country to develop the capacity to detect and respond to public health events of potential interna- tional concern. Member countries of the OIE have a responsibility to comply with the OIE international standards to prevent the movement of animal pathogens and diseases (including zoonoses) between countries, and the related OIE Performance of Veterinary Services Pathway addresses the quality of national veterinary services to comply with these international standards. In 2004, OIE and FAO established the Global Frame- work for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases to support regional efforts to prevent, control and eliminate priority animal diseases in each region, including major zoonoses. While the responsibility to maintain and exercise these competencies of public and animal health surveillance and response must rest with each individual Member State, sub-regional and regional surveillance networks can also contribute to the objectives of early detection and control of transboundary threats at source. CORDS grew out of the successful establishment of one, the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance network (MBDS), in which six countries in south-east Asia, sharing common- alities of borders, topography, and climate, recognised the potential value of sharing surveillance information con- cerning commonly perceived disease priorities. The CORDS regional network model has now been adopted by several other groups of countries in eastern Africa (EAIDSNet), south-east Europe (SEEHN), eastern Mediterranean (MECIDS), southern Africa (SACIDS), and another in south-east Asia (APEIR). Many other models of effective regional surveillance networks covering human and animal diseases exist, including those covering wildlife. Some of the networks are generic in scope and some specific, some focused on information sharing, while others address response and even longer-term control measures, including capacity-building. Focusing on shared problems can allow a better understanding of the extent and nature of epidemic and endemic diseases, the conditions under which they are likely to appear or are exacerbated, and the most effective approaches to detection, prevention and control in any particular context. Often, this work must involve multiple sectors; the majority of epidemic infectious diseases affecting humans are zoonotic in origin. Further, this movement of pathogens is not unidirectional: there is spillover and spill-back between these highly interdepen- dent domains, additionally modulated intensification of livestock production system, trade, climate change and the increasing human population. The international movement of pathogens, animals, people and goods has fuelled the emergence and international spread of disease throughout history, and lies at the heart of the IHR and the OIE international standards. Communication and collaboration between human, animal and ecosystem health sectors is essential if we wish to ensure the health of our populations, the safety and security of our food supply, and the economies and livelihoods of all those who depend on these interactions. FAO, OIE, and WHO have agreed the importance of augmenting their collaborative efforts for the prevention, detection and control of disease arising at the human- animal-ecosystem interface. In this regard the Organiza- tions have developed tools to support early warning and risk assessment. Event-based surveillance mechanisms, such as the joint Global Early Warning System for Animal Diseases (GLEWS), which includes zoonoses and food-borne pathogens, and disease-specific colla- borations such as the network for animal influenza (OFFLU), are active between the three Organizations. These collaborations range beyond surveillance to in- corporate joint response mechanisms as events demand. The Joint FAO/OIE Crisis Management Centre for Animal Health supports rapid response capacities to assist countries for animal diseases events (domestic, wildlife, terrestrial or aquatic), and has collaborated in outbreak responses with WHO and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). Similarly, a cross-sectoral ‘One Health’ approach is increasingly being adopted within and amongst countries to address these problems. Regional food safety surveillance net- working initiatives inform the global food safety net- works and frequently contribute to management of public health events under the IHR. Sub-regional and regional surveillance groups and field epidemiology training programs (FETPs) have brought human public health and animal health practitioners together for a new approach to field epidemiology and response in Africa, Asia and Europe; this is also true of some national FETPs and FETPVs. The new generation of public health and animal health practitioners will apply these principles as a matter of course. æLETTER
- 7. The advantages of regional relationships between local partners have been appreciated, and this recognition is altering the approach of global networks in a kind of ‘reverse engineering’. The GOARN, initially conceived as a global resource supported by WHO Headquarters, has developed a regionally-based approach which still contributes globally as needed. With a wider scope, the Asia-Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases (APSED) develops Member State and regional surveillance and response capacity through a policy of intersectoral col- laboration and coordination, with FAO and OIE, for detection and control of zoonotic disease emerging at the human/animal/ecosystem interface. Positive trends for the future include the growth of regional networks incorporating surveillance, response, and applied inter- sectoral research for better forecasting, and the selec- tion of evidence-based measures to control and, where possible, prevent, future epidemics. Sincerely, Bernard Vallat Director General World Organisation for Animal Health Modibo Traore´ Assistant Director-General Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) Keiji Fukuda Assistant Director-General for Health Security and Environment World Health Organization Letter
- 8. Contents Overview papers Creating a Global Dialogue on Infectious Disease Surveillance: Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) Louise S. Gresham, Mark S. Smolinski, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, Ann Marie Kimball and Suwit Wibulpolprasert 1 The Evolution and Expansion of Regional Disease Surveillance Networks and Their Role in Mitigating the Threat of Infectious Disease Outbreaks Katherine C. Bond, Sarah B. Macfarlane, Charlanne Burke, Kumnuan Ungchusak and Suwit Wibulpolprasert 8 Network papers Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance (MBDS): A Trust-Based Network Bounlay Phommasack, Chuleeporn Jiraphongsa, Moe Ko Oo, Katherine C. Bond, Natalie Phaholyothin, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, Kumnuan Ungchusak and Sarah B. Macfarlane 18 Regional Initiatives in Support of Surveillance in East Africa: The East Africa Integrated Disease Surveillance Network (EAIDSNet) Experience Maurice Ope, Stanley Sonoiya, James Kariuki, Leonard E.G. Mboera, Ramana N.V. Gandham, Miriam Schneidman and Mwihaki Kimura 27 Southeastern European Health Network (SEEHN) Communicable Diseases Surveillance: A Decade of Bridging Trust and Collaboration Silvia Bino, Semra Cavaljuga, Angel Kunchev, Dragan Lausevic, Bernard Kaic, Adriana Pistol, Predrag Kon, Zarko Karadjovski, Stela Georghita and Snezana Cicevalieva 34 Enhanced Surveillance for Detection and Management of Infectious Diseases: Regional Collaboration in the Middle East Alex Leventhal, Assad Ramlawi, Adel Belbiesi, Sami Sheikh, Akhtam Haddadin, Sari Husseini, Ziad Abdeen and Dani Cohen 41 Sustaining a Regional Emerging Infectious Disease Research Network: A Trust-Based Approach Pornpit Silkavute, Dinh Xuan Tung and Pongpisut Jongudomsuk 48 The Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance: A One Health Consortium Mark M. Rweyemamu, Peter Mmbuji, Esron Karimuribo, Janusz Paweska, Dominic Kambarage, Luis Neves, Jean-Marie Kayembe, Aaron Mweene and Mecky Matee 54 Commentaries Key Findings and Lessons from an Evaluation of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Disease Surveillance Networks Initiative Nancy MacPherson, Ann Marie Kimball, Charlanne Burke, Neil Abernethy, Sandra Tempongko and Jakob Zinsstag 62 Clinical Laboratory Networks Contribute to Strengthening Disease Surveillance: The RESAOLAB Project in West Africa Josette Najjar-Pellet, Jean-Louis Machuron, Flabou Bougoudogo, Jean Sakande´, Iyane Sow, Christophe Paquet and Christophe Longuet 67 Promising Pathways for Regional Disease Surveillance Networks Melinda Moore, Katherine C. Bond, Louise Gresham, Mark Rweyemamu, A. Mushtaque R. Chowdhury and Silvia Bino 70
- 9. Creating a Global Dialogue on Infectious Disease Surveillance: Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) Louise S. Gresham1 *, Mark S. Smolinski2 , Rapeepong Suphanchaimat3 , Ann Marie Kimball4 and Suwit Wibulpolprasert5 1 Fondation Merieux USA, Inc., United States; 2 Skoll Global Threats Fund, United States; 3 International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand; 4 The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United States; 5 Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) is an international non-governmental organization focused on information exchange between disease surveillance networks in different areas of the world. By linking regional disease surveillance networks, CORDS builds a trust-based social fabric of experts who share best practices, surveillance tools and strategies, training courses, and innovations. CORDS exemplifies the shifting patterns of international collaboration needed to prevent, detect, and counter all types of biological dangers Á not just naturally occurring infectious diseases, but also terrorist threats. Representing a network-of-networks approach, the mission of CORDS is to link regional disease surveillance networks to improve global capacity to respond to infectious diseases. CORDS is an informal governance cooperative with six founding regional disease surveillance networks, with plans to expand; it works in complement and cooperatively with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the Food and Animal Organization of the United Nations (FAO). As described in detail elsewhere in this special issue of Emerging Health Threats, each regional network is an alliance of a small number of neighboring countries working across national borders to tackle emerging infectious diseases that require unified regional efforts. Here we describe the history, culture and commitment of CORDS; and the novel and necessary role that CORDS serves in the existing international infectious disease surveillance framework. Keywords: regional infectious disease surveillance network; global health security; network-of-networks; IHR implementation; WHO geopolitical structure Introduction In the past few decades, one or two new infectious disease threats have emerged every year somewhere on the planet. The vast majority of new human infectious disease threats are zoonotic, meaning that they originate in animals. As we develop more land, mine more of the earth’s resources, and hunt and raise more animals for food, we increase our exposure to animal pathogens that have the potential to ‘‘jump’’ the species barrier. Because both people and products are able to transit the globe during the incubation period for many infectious diseases, index cases often occur continents away from where outbreaks originate. Whether it be SARS in travelers (2003), influenza H1N1 in passengers (2009), Nipah virus in exported pigs (1998, 1999), HIV in shipped contaminated Factor VIII (1983), or E. coli in foodstuffs (ongoing), the geographic expanse of infec- tious diseases is truly boundless. Thus, populations across the globe are at risk of newly arriving infections that may be unfamiliar, difficult to diagnose, and challenging to treat and control (1Á3). At the same time, the increasingly competitive global marketplace has created new trading communities that are more economically integrated than in the past. New regional and cross border trade agreements have contributed to this shift in the trade landscape. The shift is driving many economies to begin to orchestrate their surveillance efforts, especially against infectious disease, æOVERVIEW Emerg Health Threats J 2013. # 2013 Louise S. Gresham et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1 Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6: 19912 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19912
- 10. with their neighboring trading and travel partners. Countries across the world are self-assembling into regional surveillance networks that do not necessarily operate within the confines of the older geo-political regional boundaries set forth by country membership in the World Health Organization (WHO) (4Á6). This article highlights the work being done by Con- necting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS). CORDS is an international non-governmental organization that links six of these self-assembling regio- nal infectious disease surveillance networks (7Á8). Each network is itself an alliance of a small number of neigh- boring countries working across national borders Á some- times borders in conflict Á to tackle infectious disease threats that require unified regional efforts. By linking the networks not only with each other but also with WHO, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and other agencies and institutions involved with disease surveillance, CORDS exemplifies the type of combined vertical plus horizontal international collabora- tion that will be needed to prevent, detect, and respond to the shifting spectrum of infectious disease threats that are an unfortunate reality in today’s ‘‘global’’ world (9Á10). As elaborated throughout this issue, CORDS members regularly collaborate to build national, regional and global capacity while at the same time responding to infectious disease emergencies as they occur. The bonds that are forming within and among the CORDS regional surveillance networks are nurturing not just a cross- border approach to disease surveillance, but also a cross- disciplinary One Health approach. During times of emergency, the personal relationships being nurtured by CORDS and its member networks help to ensure that the joint outbreak investigations and controls are carried out in a timely manner; that the necessary diagnostics and potentially life-saving vaccines and drugs are shared where they are needed; that biological specimens are available for regional laboratory testing; and that appropriate regional travel restriction or other control measures are implemented when the situation demands. Although this article highlights CORDS and its mem- ber networks, many other economies, government agen- cies, and informal groups have assembled in recent years to collectively combat infectious diseases (11Á13). Exam- ples include the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three (China, Japan, Korea) Field Epi- demiology Training Network (ASEAN'3 FETN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and APEC Emerging Infections Network (APEC EINet); the Car- ibbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC); ProMED-mail; and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). See Ref. 11 in this issue for a discussion of WAHO, PPHSN, and ASEAN'3 FETN. History, Culture, and Commitment of CORDS In 2007, the Rockefeller Foundation and Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) convened infectious disease surveillance representatives and other experts from across the world to share best practices and lessons learned in disease surveillance. Attendees of the meeting, which was held at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Conference Center, Italy, were asked to recommend actions to advance the global capacity for public health surveillance and reduce the threat of infectious diseases, with a focus on the needs of developing countries. The resulting Bellagio Call for Action addressed three ‘‘vital concerns’’: (i) the need to build surveillance capacity, especially human and labora- tory capacity, but also cross-border collaborative capa- city; (ii) the need to develop and employ appropriate information and data-sharing technology to facilitate timely communication during times of emergency; and (iii) the need for a flexible approach to governance among the growing number of regional infectious disease sur- veillance networks that are self-assembling worldwide (14). At the same time, regional disease surveillance net- works themselves were recognizing a shared incentive to improve early detection and outbreak investigation and response. Driven by that incentive and with the support and partnership of NTI, the Rockefeller Foundation, Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Fondation Me´rieux, and the Skoll Global Threats Fund, the leaders of six existing regional disease surveillance networks founded CORDS. The six networks, all of which are described in detail elsewhere in this issue (see also Table 1) are: Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network (MBDS) (15), East African Integrated Disease Surveillance Net- work (EAIDSNet) (16), South Eastern European Health Network (SEEHN) (17), Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS) (18), Asian Partnership on Emerging Infectious Disease Research (APEIR) (19), and Southern African Centre for Infec- tious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) (20). During CORDS’s early years, NTI served the role of interim secretariat; Fondation Me´rieux provided a home in Annecy, France, for convening CORDS. CORDS was formally created as a non-governmental organization in Lyon, France, in 2012. Representing a network-of-networks approach, CORDS enables networks to interact not only with each other, but also with the WHO, OIE, FAO, and other surveil- lance partners. CORDS also partners with other public and private sector actors who share common health security goals (6,7,21,22); and with individual professionals. Louise S. Gresham et al. 2 Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6: 19912 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19912
- 11. Table 1. Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) Founding Networks Name Member Countries Description Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network (MBDS) Cambodia, China (Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces), Laos PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam MBDS was established in 1999 to strengthen national and Mekong regional capabilities in disease surveillance and response to outbreaks of priority diseases in order that they can be effectively controlled. MBDS is governed by memoranda of understanding between the ministers of member countries and an executive board, with activities coordinated by a secretariat and country coordinators. For more information, visit www.mbdsoffice.com. East African Integrated Disease Surveillance Network (EAIDSNet) Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda EAIDSNet was established in 2001 to enhance cross-country and cross-institutional collaboration on disease control, to improve the quality of data on communicable disease and the flow and sharing of information, and to improve the health of the East African population. EAIDSNet is a health sector institution of the East African Community. For more information, visit www.eac.int/eaidsnet. South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia SEEHN was founded in 2001 to coordinate and help with the implementation and evaluation of health policy and services among its regional members. The network is supported by a secretariat run jointly by the council of Europe and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. For more information, visit www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/Health-systems/ public-health-services/south-eastern-europe-health-network-seehn. Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS) Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority MECIDS was established in 2003 to improve the ability of member nations to detect and respond to infectious disease threats through integrated surveillance systems and joint epidemiological and laboratory training. It is governed by an executive board guided by a set of standing operating procedures and associated protocols with activities coordinated by an international secretariat. For more information, visit www.mecidsnetwork.org. Asian Partnership on Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (APEIR) Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand APEIR was founded in 2006 by joining research efforts among different institutions in the most severely affected Asian countries to fight avian influenza in the region. It was initially named APAIR and further changed to APEIR when it expanded its interests to cover other emerging infectious diseases. Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is initially supporting the partnership. Key members include key multi-sectoral institutes in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Other international agencies also supporting the alliance include AusAIDs, the Rockefeller Foundation, and WHO. For more information, visit www.apeiresearch.net/main.php. Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia SACIDS is a consortium of Southern African medical and veterinary, academic and research institutions in the animal, human and agricultural sectors. SACIDS was established in 2009 and is governed by two deputy directors, one for the human and the other for the animal health sector; at the national level, the coordinator is assisted by a deputy from the opposite sector with activities guided by a secretariat located in Tanzania. For more information, visit www.sacids.org. OverviewPaper Citation:EmergHealthThreatsJ2013,6:19912-http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.199123
- 12. CORDS operates as a community of practice: a learning partnership among people who share a common concern, in this case improving infectious disease surveil- lance capacity, and who come together regularly to learn how to do it better (23). CORDS networks regularly meet to exchange information and innovations (e.g., new data- sharing tools); participate in training courses and learn through case studies; and jointly build surveillance capacity. By providing a central forum for peers from different parts of the world to share expertise and best practices and, over time, nurture trust, CORDS fosters the development of professional collaborations and provides regular opportunities for joint learning and technical exchanges. CORDS strengthens the dialogue not just among public health, veterinary, and wildlife professionals from different regions of the world, but also between those professionals and WHO, OIE, and FAO. The vision of CORDS is ‘‘a world united against infectious diseases.’’ Its mission is ‘‘to link regional disease surveillance networks and improve global capacity to respond to infectious diseases.’’ CORDS has four strategic objectives: 1) Improving Capacity: CORDS facilitates the sharing between networks of case studies, technical exper- tise, data, best practices, and resources to help networks and their member countries develop new skills and build operational partnerships across regions. 2) Advancing One Health: CORDS seeks to modernize disease surveillance by improving coordination between animal, human and environmental sectors at national, regional and international levels. 3) Promoting Innovation: CORDS serves as a venue for networks to share their innovative ideas and approaches to disease surveillance, and it also provides an organized platform for co-development of new technologies and innovations within and across regions. 4) Building Sustainable Networks: CORDS strength- ens multi-country disease surveillance networks and facilitates the creation of sustainable new networks in areas of high disease risk by providing educa- tional materials, success stories, progress reports, and other information to networks which they can use with their respective ministries to demonstrate the value of multi-country networks. While CORDS is still early in its development, already its member networks have demonstrated that even in parts of the world historically (e.g., Southeast Asia) or currently rife with conflict (e.g., Middle East), pub- lic health and veterinary experts and officials from neighboring countries can come together in emergency situations and successfully coordinate efforts to prevent the spread of infectious disease (4Á6, 24). The key to success is trust. Multi-country disease surveillance net- works are successful only when individual experts from across countries and regions develop trust-based relation- ships that support the comfortable and timely exchange of views and information. For example, MBDS is a network of trust-based social relationships that have developed over time and did not exist thirteen years ago. As the network matured and as disease surveillance and control epidemiologists and other professionals from neighboring countries routinely worked together on joint surveillance goals, the sharing of data, tools, and innovative ideas and approaches increased substantially. CORDS is committed to nurturing a trust-based culture that encourages the secure and timely sharing of infor- mation and best practices between disease surveillance experts from across its member networks. The operational philosophy of CORDS is to be small, nimble, and supportive of member networks. In accord with the trust-based and collaborative culture of CORDS, the CORDS Executive Board operates on consensus when it establishes the objectives, policies, and plans of action for the organization. CORDS rotates leadership such that all involved networks will have the opportunity for one of their representatives to serve as Chair of the Executive Board (EB). Avenues for Engagement between CORDS and the Existing International Disease Surveillance Framework Among the most obvious benefits of CORDS member- ship is that participating regional surveillance networks Á and the countries linked by those networks Á are improving national capacities in compliance with the revised International Health Regulations (IHR). The IHR provides a framework for improved international public health security by strengthening global surveil- lance, improving communication between WHO and member states, and setting ground rules to address national public health emergencies of international con- cern (25). It is a set of legally binding requirements agreed upon by the 194 member states to help structure a world that is on alert and prepared to respond to the threat of infectious epidemics. Many public health experts, includ- ing WHO leadership, have called for additional strategies to complement WHO efforts to build the mandated national capacities for compliance (5, 26Á28). Indeed, the IHR itself includes provision for member states to seek technical assistance from WHO (29). However, WHO has limited funding and capacity to help countries meet capacity levels to detect and respond to cross-border threats. CORDS complements WHO efforts by helping regional networks to collectively built mandated core surveillance capacities through the sharing of information Louise S. Gresham et al. 4 Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6: 19912 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19912
- 13. and standard protocols and the channeling of resources. WHO has been participating in CORDS activities and collaborating closely with the regional networks. WHO representatives regularly attend CORDS meetings; CORDS has held joint One Health meetings with WHO; and WHO has worked with both CORDS and its regional network members to build laboratory capacity. CORDS fosters the sharing of information with other global infectious disease surveillance partners in addition to WHO, including OIE and FAO. Both are observers to the CORDS Executive Board. These collaborations are important to improving coordination between public health, veterinary, and wildlife surveillance and achieving the One Health strategic objective of CORDS. Like its network members, CORDS cultivates trust- based relationships that enable neighboring countries to communicate and interact with each other during times of crisis more quickly and nimbly than is sometimes possible within the vertical and geopolitical structure of WHO. The vertical bureaucracy of WHO and member states dictates that permission from a top administrative unit is usually required to allow the sharing of informa- tion. The geopolitical structure of WHO is such that a number of neighboring countries are in different regions of WHO, which makes it difficult to communicate essential outbreak information via WHO channels in a timely manner. For example, Myanmar and Thailand are members of the South East Asia Region of WHO, while their neighbors China, Laos PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam are members of the Western Pacific Region. Instead of relying solely on formal WHO communication channels during emergencies, neighboring countries are often able to launch more effective responses when they communicate directly with each other while at the same time communicating with WHO. The informal reporting structures of the regional disease surveillance networks featured here facilitate real-time information exchange and rapid and effective joint outbreak investiga- tions. Moreover, CORDS networks also extend across non-member states. The H5N1 pandemic threat in 2007 was a good example of informal communication facilitating a joint outbreak investigation between two countries in different WHO regions (15). The Thai team informed the Laos team immediately after the index case, in a Laotian girl, was diagnosed in Nong Khai province in Thailand, opposite the capital of Laos PDR, Vientiane. The Laos team immediately crossed the border to visit the girl, collect specimens, and start an investigation. The next day experts from the two countries conducted a joint outbreak investigation in the village where the girl resided, while at the same time reporting to WHO. This timely joint response was based on trust-based collegial relationships, without any requirement for permission from top leaders. The trust-based social fabric being cultivated by CORDS and its member networks also helps to tackle the challenge of disease under-reporting, as well as wrongful accusations about neighboring WHO Member States. WHO is still limited in how it can intervene when a country does not report a disease threat (30). Value of CORDS CORDS cultivates networks of professionals who have the collective strength to translate information into near- real-time action during emergency situations. The value of CORDS ranges from the potential (e.g., knowledge capital, social capital, learning capital) to the applied (e.g., changes in practice based on CORDS interactions) to the realized (improved performance). Text Box 1 outlines examples of the value of CORDS. Text Box 1. The value of CORDS . Weaving a strong global infectious disease surveill- ance fabric. CORDS creates a social network for sharing information and documents, learning from experiences and common challenges, creating knowledge, stimulating change, and shaping new professional opportunities. The collective learning nurtured by CORDS turns short-term problem- solving into a long-term cumulative resource of approaches and solutions to infectious disease surveillance challenges; and creates horizontal channels of communication (e.g., network-to-net- work, country-to-country, network-to-private sec- tor partner) that complement existing vertical structures (e.g., official WHO and Member State bureaucracies). Through these activities, CORDS weaves horizontal and vertical threads of commu- nication and collaboration into a strong global infectious disease surveillance fabric. Examples of the horizontal collaboration being nurtured by CORDS include the spontaneity of the relation- ships among MBDS members being instrumental in forming the ASEAN Plus Three Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease, where 6 of the 13 members are MBDS members (15). Examples of vertical collaboration include WHO, OIE, and UN System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC) work with MBDS to develop scenarios and plan and carry out a series of pandemic preparedness tabletop exercises (19); WHO and MECIDS collaborating on IHR implementation strategies (18); and WHO assistance with the SEEHN regional assessment of national pandemic preparedness (17). Overview Paper Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6: 19912 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19912 5
- 14. . Contributing to global participatory policy reform. CORDS plays a leadership role for policy reform on global issues (e.g., SACIDS advocacy for One Health policy [20], APEIR advocacy for research- based policy change [19]), draws additional policy attention to the concerns of regional networks, and creates a platform where national level action can be complemented by international level action. . Generating and managing knowledge. CORDS gen- erates and manages knowledge not only by carving new channels of communication so that surveillance data can be shared by individuals in a more timely manner than would otherwise be possible, but also by formulating and disseminat- ing new surveillance norms and standards. CORDS also encourages the quick adoption of innovative technologies and innovations, such as point-of-care and rapid diagnostics (e.g., the joint SACIDS-EAIDSNet exploration of mobile technologies for disease surveillance in remote and cross-border areas [16]). Conclusion The collaborative capacity to immediately detect, re- spond, and effectively control the occurrence of infectious diseases and prevent them from becoming pandemics is of utmost importance. While the IHR provides an official platform for infectious disease surveillance experts to communicate essential information, the vertical structure of WHO and the outdated geopolitical boundaries of the WHO regions create obstacles for infectious disease surveillance practitioners and other professionals to communicate in a timely manner during crises. Ensuring that a robust response to global infectious disease threats is present anywhere and everywhere at all times requires combining formal WHO and other surveillance mechan- isms with the nimble nature of the regional networks linked by CORDS and of CORDS itself. The horizontal, semi-formal, trust-based relationships among regional disease surveillance networks being cultivated by CORDS interweave with the more formal, vertical relationships between Member States and WHO, OIE and FAO to form a global disease surveillance fabric that promotes more effective actions than would otherwise be possible. By pursuing a common vision where disease no longer threatens the security and prosperity of nations, CORDS is revitalizing international efforts against bio- logical threats and helping to weave ‘‘A World United Against Infectious Diseases.’’ References 1. Institute of Medicine [IOM]. Microbial Threats to Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. 2003. 2. Jones K. Global trends in emerging infectious diseases. Nature. 2008;451:990Á3. 3. Institute of Medicine [IOM]. The Impact of Globalization on Infectious Disease Emergence and Control: Exploring the Consequences and Opportunities. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. 2006. 4. 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- 16. The Evolution and Expansion of Regional Disease Surveillance Networks and Their Role in Mitigating the Threat of Infectious Disease Outbreaks Katherine C. Bond1 , Sarah B. Macfarlane2 , Charlanne Burke3 *, Kumnuan Ungchusak4 and Suwit Wibulpolprasert5 1 Former Associate Director for Health, Rockefeller Foundation Southeast Asia and Africa Regional Offices, United States; 2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, United States; 3 Rockefeller Foundation, United States; 4 Department of Diseases Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand; 5 Office of Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand We examine the emergence, development, and value of regional infectious disease surveillance networks that neighboring countries worldwide are organizing to control cross-border outbreaks at their source. The regional perspective represented in the paper is intended to serve as an instructive framework for others who decide to launch such networks as new technologies and emerging threats bring countries even closer together. Distinct from more formal networks in geographic regions designated by the World Health Organization (WHO), these networks usually involve groupings of fewer countries chosen by national governments to optimize surveillance efforts. Sometimes referred to as sub-regional, these ‘‘self-organizing’’ networks complement national and local government recognition with informal relationships across borders among epidemiologists, scientists, ministry officials, health workers, border officers, and community members. Their development over time reflects both incremental learning and growing connections among network actors; and changing disease patterns, with infectious disease threats shifting over time from local to regional to global levels. Not only has this regional disease surveillance network model expanded across the globe, it has also expanded from a mostly practitioner-based network model to one that covers training, capacity-building, and multidisciplinary research. Today, several of these networks are linked through Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS). We explore how regional disease surveillance networks add value to global disease detection and response by complementing other systems and efforts, by harnessing their power to achieve other goals such as health and human security, and by helping countries adapt to complex challenges via multi-sectoral solutions. We note that governmental commitment and trust among participating individuals are critical to the success of regional infectious disease surveillance networks. Keywords: regional networks; disease surveillance; trust; pandemics; cross-border; SARS; International Health Regulations Introduction The world has awakened to the threat of disease pan- demics arising from growing global inter-connectedness. The rapid spread of SARS from Hong Kong to Toronto in 2003 demonstrated the speed with which highly pathogenic epidemics can move across the world, necessi- tating surveillance and control approaches that cut across national boundaries (1). Governmental and international agencies are building and strengthening infectious disease surveillance at all levels, from the national to interna- tional, to facilitate earlier detection and communication of disease outbreaks on a global scale (2Á7). Here, we tell the story of surveillance networks that neighboring countries worldwide are organizing to control outbreaks at their source, across national borders. Distinct from more formal networks in geographic regions designated by the World Health Organization (WHO), these net- works usually involve groupings of fewer countries chosen by national governments to optimize surveillance efforts. Sometimes referred to as sub-regional, these ‘‘self-organizing’’ disease surveillance networks com- plement national and local government recognition with trust-based relationships between practitioners across borders. Governments, public health authorities, æOVERVIEW Emerg Health Threats J 2013. # 2013 Katherine C. Bond et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 8 Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6: 19913 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19913
- 17. international organizations, academia, foundations, and non-governmental organizations mobilize technical and financial support for these networks. Some of these regional networks existed before the sudden outbreak of SARS (2003). We describe their emergence, development, and value among the many other parallel efforts to protect populations against the global spread of infectious disease, with a focus on three of the earlier emerging networks: the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN) (1996), the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance (MBDS) network (1999), and the East African Integrated Disease Surveillance Network (EAIDSNet) (2000). The regional perspective represented in the paper is intended to serve as an instructive framework for others who decide to launch or join existing regional networks as new technologies and emerging threats bring countries even closer together. The Rise of Self-Organizing Regional Disease Surveillance Networks Regional networks have increased in response to changing global disease dynamics. Zoonotic diseases account for 70 percent of emerging infectious diseases, and the global health and economic impacts of SARS, H5N1 and H1N1 have turned the world’s attention to global pandemic threats. Common drivers include increased cross-border trade, mobility and migration of humans and animals, livestock productions systems, population density, viral adaptation and ecological shifts as a result of climate change (8). While some of the more recently emerging regional disease surveillance networks are research-focused, the earlier networks were practitioner-based and aimed to bring together epidemiologists responsible for surveil- lance. The earliest example is the Organisations de Coordination et de Cooperation pour la lutte contre les Grandes Endemies (OCCGE), established in West Africa in the early 1960s. In 1987, the OCCGE merged with the West African Health Community (WAHC) to form the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) (9). Several other regional disease surveillance networks arose in the mid-1990s. The Pacific Public Health Surveil- lance Network (PPHSN) formed in 1996 as a voluntary network to coordinate efforts to control infectious disease in 22 Pacific Island countries and territories. PPHSN met a need among countries and island territories in the region to streamline their disease reporting and response. The network operates under the auspices of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). In 1999, technical representatives of the six Mekong countries (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) recommended to their govern- ments formation of the Mekong Basin Disease Surveil- lance (MBDS) network. This small number of countries bridging the much larger WHO Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regional offices, and also forming a subset of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), decided that coordination through MBDS would enable them to address similar epidemiological profiles across their multiple shared borders. The following year, in 2000, representatives from ministries of health and academic institutions in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda formed the East African Integrated Disease Surveillance Network (EAIDSNet). This network supported the WHO African regional office’s policy of integrating disease surveillance systems (10). Anticipating and supporting the development of a health desk within the re-emerging East African Community, countries familiar with working together wanted to prepare com- mon procedures for combating disease threats such as Ebola or, more commonly, cholera (11). Rwanda and Burundi joined EAIDSNet in 2007. Phases of Network Development We characterize the evolution of PPHSN, MBDS and EAIDSNet in three overlapping phases (1996Á2007; 2003Á2009; and 2006-present). These phases reflect both incremental learning and growing connections among network actors and changing disease patterns, with infectious disease threats shifting over time from local to regional to global levels. The occurrence of SARS during the first phase, H5N1 during the second phase, and H1N1 during the third phase reinforced the roles of these networks and strengthened the resolve of members to prepare joint plans to combat such threats. Phase 1: Training and connecting people to contain local epidemics (1996 to 2007) During the early phases of network formation, popula- tions struggled with diseases of primarily local concern. Priorities for disease reporting reflected the epidemiology of the time: diarrheal diseases like cholera; malaria; pneumonia; typhoid; hemorrhagic fevers like dengue; and HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. As the first step in establishing these networks, their members made and formalized connections among technical experts across the ministries of health and other public health institutions in the countries and agreed on strategies. The PPHSN formed a coordinating body, with representatives of the countries and territories and of allied bodies, including as permanent members WHO, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and Fiji School of Medicine (12). MBDS established a secretariat in Thailand, with coordinating and executive committees; and outlined a collective vision for governance and outputs in a memorandum of understanding signed by ministers of health for all six countries. EAIDSNet operated a temporary secretariat with a coordinating committee based in the Tanzanian National Medical Overview Paper Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6: 19913 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19913 9
- 18. Research Institute until it formally incorporated into the East African Community (EAC) in 2004. Also during this first phase, the networks identified priority diseases and clarified disease definitions; harmo- nized reporting tools; prepared joint outbreak investiga- tions; and disseminated information through network publications. PPHSN set up PACNet as an early warning system for disease outbreaks (Text Box 1); MBDS and EAIDSNet shared only limited surveillance information and undertook minimum collaborative response activities during this early phase of network formation. Text Box 1. PACNET The PPHSN set up PacNet in 1997 to share timely information on disease outbreaks in order to ensure appropriate action was taken in response to public health threats (12). PacNet demonstrated early suc- cess by providing early warnings of dengue, measles, and influenza that led to preventive measures taken across the region. Its early success served as a building block for prioritizing regional surveillance of outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging diseases. Subsequently, all major outbreaks that posed threats to the region were notified and monitored through PacNet. These included SARS; dengue in Tong, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna; measles in the Marshall Islands and Guam; rubella in Samoa, Niue and Tokelau; and influenza in New Caledonia. All three networks focused on training health workers in field epidemiology, as the epidemiology workforces in some countries were not fully developed. For example, between 2001 and 2007, under the leadership of the Field Epidemiology Training Program in Thailand, MBDS trained 45 medical doctors in field epidemiology, disease surveillance, and response. Many of the individuals who completed the course later went on to lead or play significant roles in their respective ministries/countries; the relationships established during the course fostered the growth of informal, inter-governmental networks and future collaboration. Phase 2: Enhancing cross-border and national surveillance systems to address regional threats (2003 to 2009) As HIV/AIDS spread increasingly in border areas and new zoonotic infectious diseases such as SARS emerged, a growing number of countries expressed heightened commitment to comply with the revised International Health Regulations (13). The networks used the commu- nications infrastructure and the institutional agreements, arrangements, and definitions established early on to enhance cross-border disease surveillance and control projects. Both MBDS and EAIDSNet accelerated their efforts to strengthen district health management teams at border districts and to collaborate in the develop- ment of training programs for enhanced surveillance and control efforts. At the same time, individual networks successfully integrated local, national and regional level health officials. For example, MBDS utilized existing bilateral and multilateral agreements between governments in the region to expand its cross-border initiative from four border sites in 2007 to 24 sites in 2010, effectively covering almost all key border crossings in the region. These combined capacities and growing trusted relation- ships further enabled collaboration in preparing for and responding to H5N1, dengue outbreaks, and natural disasters such as Cyclone Nargis that hit Myanmar in 2008 (14). Also during phase 2, network activities moved beyond the health sector to include other sectors at border areas, including customs and immigration (Text Box 2). Multi- sectoral reporting teams highlighted that the spread of HIV/AIDS was significantly higher in border areas of the Mekong region than in other areas; and that East African countries were facing burgeoning cross-border epidemics, including HIV/AIDS but also Rift Valley Fever and other zoonoses (Text Box 3). Text Box 2. Cross-border activities in the Mekong Basin region Building on good bilateral agreements among gov- ernments of the six countries and led by Lao PDR, which shares borders with all other MBDS countries, during phase 2 of its development MBDS created several multi-sectoral border response teams com- prised of health, customs, immigration, and border officials. Through the cross-border sharing of human resources and expertise, the teams participated in a number of joint outbreak investigations. These in- cluded a joint dengue fever investigation between the Lao and Thai provincial sites, enabling officials to effectively stamp out the cross-border outbreak; a joint typhoid investigation between the Lao and Vietnam provincial sites; and a joint avian influenza investigation of cases in humans, triggered by the discovery of an infected Lao citizen in Thailand (15). Also during phase 2, MBDS partnered with Mahidol University, Thailand, to train border health officials in geographic information system (GIS) and other analytic techniques and in the social, political, and economic aspects of border health. This training enhanced skills in research, outbreak investigation, and communication; and established friendships and trust among officers from adjacent cross-border provinces. Katherine C. Bond et al. 10 Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6: 19913 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.19913
- 19. Text Box 3. EAIDSNet: focusing on the animal- human health interface During phase 2, EAIDSNet responded collectively to numerous outbreaks of cross-border significance, including Rift Valley Fever (2007), Marburg (2007), and wild poliovirus (2006, 2009, 2010). The out- breaks prompted a greater focus on the animal- human health interface and the need to develop integrated surveillance strategies. Thus, with a focus on One Health, the network conducted field simula- tion exercises at the Kenya-Uganda border to test national avian influenza preparedness and response plans; and conducted a review of information and communication technology (ICT) capabilities and developed and piloted a web portal linking existing human and animal disease surveillance reporting systems across facilities in border districts (11). Phase 3: Strengthening preparedness for pandemics and other public health threats of regional and global scale (2006 to present) Growing global concern about the threat of H5N1 pandemic and other emerging infectious diseases prompted previously independent regional networks to start sharing experiences and learning from each other. In 2007, representatives from MBDS, EAIDSNet, and other regional networks from Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East met in Bellagio, Italy to discuss possibilities for collaboration (16). The Bellagio meeting was followed by a series of exchange visits during which the networks shared approaches to pan- demic preparedness across regions and jointly piloted new information and communications technology (ICT) tools for communicating about disease outbreaks. Net- work members from MBDS report that these cooperative efforts helped strengthen their pandemic preparedness, citing improved national surveillance efforts and cross- border communication during the H1N1 outbreaks of 2009 (17). The Bellagio meeting also led to creation of Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) (Text Box 4). Text Box 4. CORDS In 2007, the Rockefeller Foundation (RF) supported the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) to convene a Bellagio meeting of regional surveillance networks from across the globe to initiate a dialogue about how to harness lessons learned, emerging technologies, and nascent support. Participants from many net- works recognized the value in sharing approaches and strategies, while donors and other develop- ment partners recognized the opportunity to reduce fragmentation and increase efficiencies in the global surveillance space. Subsequently, RF, NTI, and existing regional surveillance networks created a community of practice, ‘‘Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance’’ (CORDS) (21, 22). Among its first activities, the community formulated a steering group comprised of key regio- nal network representatives to define a learning agenda. More recently, CORDS registered as a legal, non-profit international organization in Lyon, France, in 2012. CORDS will convene the 1st Global Conference on Regional Disease Surveillance Net- works at the Prince Mahidol Award Conference in 2013. Through these and other activities, CORDS is strengthening regional disease surveillance net- works and global capacity for early detection and mitigation of pandemic threats. Expansion of Regional Networks Not only has the regional disease surveillance network model expanded across the globe, it has also expanded from a mostly practitioner-based network model to one that covers training, capacity-building, and multidisci- plinary research. This section describes more recently formed efforts. Practitioner Networks The governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia established the Southeastern European Health Network (SEEHN) in 2001. SEEHN’s goal is to foster cross-border collabora- tion to align national practices with European Union standards and requirements. Key activities include joint preparation of influenza pandemic preparedness plans at both national and regional levels and the introduction of molecular techniques into influenza surveillance labora- tories within the region (18). In 2003 representatives of the ministries of health of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority established the Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS) (2). MECIDS began as a set of informal working relationships among technical staff for monitoring food-borne outbreaks. Like the earlier net- works, they began by harmonizing reporting methodol- ogies;