Plan National De Preparation, D'Alerte Et De Riposte En Cas De Menaces Sanitaires A Potential Epidemique Et D'Urgences De Sante Publique De Portee Internationale

Objectives

Strengthen Algeria’s national preparedness, alert, surveillance and response system for epidemic-prone threats and public health emergencies of international concern through implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005), a binding framework for preventing, detecting, controlling and responding to the international spread of disease through proportionate public health action.[1][2][3]Algeria incorporated the Regulations into national law through Presidential Decree No. 13-293 of 4 August 2013.[4]

• Develop and maintain essential capacities for legislation, coordination and communication, surveillance, preparedness, response, risk communication, human resources, laboratory services and points of entry.[5][6]
• Prevent, detect and respond rapidly to prevalent, emerging and re-emerging diseases and other events with potential international implications.[4][3]
• Address zoonotic, food-safety, chemical, radioactive and nuclear hazards, alongside risks linked to extensive borders, population movements, and environmental and climatic conditions.[5][3]
• Strengthen surveillance, early warning, laboratory confirmation, rapid response, infection prevention and control, and national multi-hazard preparedness planning.[7][8][9]
• Institutionalise health controls at airports, ports and land border crossings, including inspection, vector control, waste management and water and food safety measures.[10][11][12]
• Establish coordinated operational arrangements for zoonoses and food safety, assess chemical and radionuclear risks, and develop capacity-strengthening action plans for these hazards.[13][14][15][16]

Implementation

Implement the plan through a participatory, consultative and consensus-based process supported by the World Health Organization, using documentary review and situation analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, corrective actions and priorities for capacity-building.[4][10][7]Delivery is centred on the National International Health Regulations Focal Point, intersectoral coordination, the national health system and structured collaboration with national and international partners.[17][18][19]

• Coordinate implementation through the National International Health Regulations Focal Point within the Ministry of Health, Population and Hospital Reform, with responsibility for communication with the World Health Organization, analysis of events and risks, coordination of implementation, and notification of potential emergencies.[17][18][20]
• Strengthen the Focal Point Bureau through regulatory definition of its mandate and membership, annual confirmation of contact details, increased staffing, technical, communications and logistical equipment, and assessment of its functions and resources.[21][22]
• Convene an intersectoral committee involving health, agriculture, veterinary, food-safety, transport, commerce, civil protection, foreign affairs, statistical and other relevant authorities, and formalise information flows with sectoral focal points.[2][18][23][22]
• Build on the National Institute of Public Health, Pasteur Institute of Algeria, National Blood Agency, National Toxicology Centre, National Centre for Pharmacovigilance and Medical Device Vigilance, Central Pharmacy of Hospitals, and public and private health and laboratory networks.[24]
• Operate surveillance through public and private health facilities using common notification procedures, with information flowing from local services to analysis and information-processing structures and laboratory confirmation supported by the Pasteur Institute of Algiers.[24]
• Revise and disseminate the list of notifiable diseases and standard operating procedures for detection, reporting, confirmation, verification, assessment and notification of events that may constitute public health emergencies of international concern.[25]
• Apply the International Health Regulations Annex 2 decision instrument to assess and notify relevant events to the World Health Organization, and collaborate on risk assessment and response.[6][20]
• Use weekly analysis of priority-disease data, epidemiological thresholds, diagnostic laboratories, community reporting, daily information bulletins and the Ministry of Health information system to support early warning.[8][26]
• Mobilise multidisciplinary rapid-response teams, crisis committees, technical procedures and directives through the ORSEC plan, and establish a dedicated emergency coordination centre with standardised deployment procedures.[26]
• Develop, test, update and improve multi-hazard preparedness, response and risk-communication plans through real events and simulation exercises, including cross-border emergency-management arrangements.[26][27][28]
• Develop laboratory governance, networks, accreditation, inspection, biosafety, quality systems, public health and veterinary laboratory cooperation, and secure transport of infectious substances in line with International Air Transport Association and World Health Organization standards.[29][30]
• Conduct workforce needs assessments, integrate International Health Regulations requirements into training, train personnel on risk management and standard operating procedures, and maintain accessible lists of specialists for urgent consultation.[29][23][28]
• Monitor implementation through reviews of annual sectoral plans, assessment of the Focal Point Bureau, evaluation of surveillance and early-warning systems, feedback to data-collection points, documentation of good practice, and simulation exercises.[8][22][9][28]
• Prepare and budget annual sectoral plans, while strengthening the Focal Point Bureau’s human, material and financial resources.[22]An emergency fund for national stock management is financed through a tobacco tax, although no monetary budget, comprehensive costing, funding gap or financing source for the action plan is specified.[27]

Monitoring & Evaluation

Monitoring and accountability centre on strengthening International Health Regulations (2005) capacities for surveillance, early detection, verification, assessment, notification and response, coordinated through the National International Health Regulations Focal Point and multisectoral institutions.[2][17][18][25]

• Monitor priority diseases through weekly analysis at all health-system levels, using epidemiological thresholds, diagnostic laboratories and the Ministry of Health information system to support early warning.[8][26]
• Apply mandatory disease notification procedures, with the notifiable-disease list updated in 2013 to reflect International Health Regulations requirements and international surveillance needs.[24]
• Vary data collection and notification frequency according to epidemiological conditions and disease characteristics.[24]
• Detect, assess and notify events that may constitute public health emergencies of international concern to the World Health Organization, using the Annex 2 decision instrument and supporting joint risk assessment and response.[17][6][20]
• Coordinate communication, event analysis, reporting and notification between the World Health Organization and national bodies through the National International Health Regulations Focal Point.[17][20]
• Evaluate the existing intranet surveillance system, disseminate the findings and update the system in line with the International Health Regulations.[25]
• Develop, revise and disseminate standard operating procedures for detecting, reporting, confirming, verifying, assessing and notifying public health emergencies of international concern, while strengthening feedback mechanisms.[25]
• Establish reporting arrangements that capture events from diverse sources, exchange surveillance data nationally and internationally, and periodically notify surveillance reports to the World Health Organization and other partners.[9]
• Review sectoral implementation plans, annually confirm focal-point contact details, assess the functions and resources of the National Focal Point Bureau, and convene implementation review meetings.[22]
• Test multi-hazard preparedness, response and risk-communication plans through simulation exercises, and use real events and evaluations of emergency management to update strategies and plans.[26][27][28]
• Improve data quality and learning by providing systematic feedback to reporting sites, expanding distribution of the Monthly Epidemiological Bulletin, evaluating early-warning and community-reporting systems, documenting surveillance experience, and disseminating good practices.[8][9]
• Strengthen quality assurance through risk-communication monitoring and evaluation tools, training evaluation, laboratory inspections, food-control quality assurance, and documentation and publication of national results.[29][11][23]
• Assess food-safety operational-plan implementation, analyse foodborne outbreaks and contamination, conduct chemical-event risk assessments, and use simulations and notification procedures to monitor food-safety and chemical-event readiness.[14][15]

A consolidated quantitative indicator framework, performance targets, formal reporting deadlines, responsible reporting bodies and a comprehensive accountability framework are not specified; the available arrangements rely principally on focal-point coordination, notification duties, institutional reviews, surveillance procedures and simulations.[22][9][30][12][31][32][14][15]

Costing & Financing

Financing detail is limited: annual sectoral implementation plans are intended to be budgeted, the National Focal Point Bureau is to receive strengthened human, material and financial resources, and an emergency fund for national stock management is financed through a tobacco tax.[22][27]

• Budget annual sectoral plans as part of implementation planning.[22]
• Increase staffing and provide technical, communications and logistical equipment for the National Focal Point Bureau, alongside strengthened financial resources.[22]
• Review mechanisms and procedures for mobilising and reallocating emergency-fund resources.[27]
• Resource multisectoral operational-centre equipment, protective equipment and disinfectants for health facilities, laboratory strengthening, border-health controls, workforce development and simulation exercises, although no cost estimates are provided.[9][28][30][12]

No monetary budget amounts, activity-level costings, financing allocations, external funding sources, funding gaps, costing methodology or economic assumptions are specified in the available sections.[10][7][13][22][9][30][14][15][16]