WHO Names Egypt’s Epidemiology Centre for Disease Preparedness
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Egypt’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme as a Collaborating Centre, creating new opportunities to strengthen disease surveillance, outbreak investigations and public health emergency preparedness across the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The designation, effective July 6, 2026, for an initial four-year period, recognises the programme’s contribution to developing epidemiologists who help health authorities detect disease threats, investigate outbreaks and guide public health decisions.
Hosted by Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population, the programme is expected to deepen technical cooperation with WHO and other public health institutions, including through the exchange of expertise and the development of a skilled workforce capable of responding to emerging and re-emerging health threats.
WHO Regional Emergency Director Dr Annette Heinzelmann said the designation would support regional health security by strengthening disease surveillance, outbreak response and cooperation through field epidemiology training.
The move highlights the importance of investing in public health personnel and surveillance systems that can identify outbreaks early and support timely responses before health threats spread across communities and national borders.
Building capacity beyond Egypt
Established in 1993, Egypt’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme has developed training for frontline, intermediate and advanced-level epidemiologists. Its graduates work across Egypt’s health system and in national, regional and international institutions, supporting disease surveillance, outbreak response and emergency preparedness.
The programme has contributed to hundreds of national and international outbreak investigations and more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Its experience provides a platform for wider regional learning, particularly as countries face the challenge of detecting and responding to infectious diseases that can cross borders and place pressure on already stretched health systems.
The WHO designation is also expected to expand opportunities for collaboration with public health institutions across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, building on existing networks such as the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network.
Responding to emerging health threats
The programme has expanded its training to address health risks that require cooperation across different sectors.
In 2024, it launched a One Health training track in collaboration with WHO, followed by a vector control track in 2025. The One Health approach links human, animal and environmental health, recognising that some disease threats require coordinated action beyond the health sector alone.
These areas of training are important for building the skills needed to investigate complex outbreaks, understand how diseases emerge and spread, and strengthen prevention and response measures.
The designation gives Egypt’s programme a stronger platform to contribute technical expertise to WHO’s work in field epidemiology training while supporting knowledge exchange across the region.
Its wider development value will depend on how effectively the expanded cooperation translates into stronger national surveillance systems, better-trained health workers and faster, evidence-based responses to public health emergencies.
