COVID-19 Surveillance in Humanitarian Settings

June 3, 2020, 0800-0900 EDT/1200-1300 GMT | Featuring: Oliver Morgan, WHO Health Emergencies Program; Niluka Wijekoon, WHO Health Emergencies Program; Heba Hayek, UNHCR; Naomi Ngaruiya, Kenya Red Cross Society

COVID-19 surveillance in humanitarian settings is challenging for many reasons, including insecurity, insufficient supplies and tests, and limited human and financial capacity. Countries and organizations have decided upon different surveillance strategies at the health facility and community levels, depending on their context. This webinar (the tenth in the weekly webinar series co-hosted by READY) provided information on surveillance together with examples from Jordan and Lebanon.

Moderator: Oliver Morgan, Ph.D., MSc, FFPH, WHO Health Emergencies Program

Dr. Oliver Morgan is the Director of the Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment Department in the WHO Health Emergencies Program. From 2007 through 2016, Dr. Morgan worked for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during which time he held critical leadership positions in the Ebola response.

Presenters

  • Niluka Wijekoon, M.D., WHO Health Emergencies Program: Dr. Niluka Wijekoon is a Medical Epidemiologist with the Health Emergencies Program at WHO headquarters in Geneva, in the Department of Health Information Management and Risk Assessment. Dr Wijekoon is a technical expert in surveillance, early warning, alert and response in emergency settings.
  • Heba Hayek, Pharm.D., UNHCR: Dr. Heba Hayek has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Jordan with a Master in Public Health degree from Emory University, Atlanta. She has experience in public health focusing on health information systems. Dr. Hayek has been working with UNHCR in the public health unit in Jordan for nearly seven years, focusing on the Syrian and Iraqi refugee situation.
  • Naomi Ngaruiya, R.N., Kenya Red Cross Society: Ms. Naomi Ngaruiya is a Registered Community Health Nurse with a Master’s degree in Programme Planning & Management and Development Economics. She has diverse knowledge in community health services and interventions, having served in humanitarian organizations for the last 20 years coordinating varied community health interventions.
United States Agency for International Development Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, Save the Children, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, UK Med, EcoHealth Alliance, Mercy Malaysia

This website is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). READY is led by Save the Children in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, UK-Med, EcoHealth Alliance, and Mercy Malaysia. Site contents are the responsibility of READY and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.