Today Canada, Mexico, and the United States achieved a major milestone for strengthening regional health security and pandemic preparedness. The U.S. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of State, Agriculture, and Homeland Security, and their respective counterparts in Mexico and Canada, released the North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative (NAPAHPI). Building on lessons learned from COVID-19 and other health security events over the past decade, NAPAHPI provides a flexible, scalable, and cross-sectoral platform and represents a renewed opportunity for North American collaboration to prevent and mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from pandemics and other events that pose a threat to regional health security. As HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said, "Our nations cannot be strong unless they are healthy. That’s why we will continue to work together on a sustained, durable strategy that improves health security for all."
A huge thanks to all of our partners across the three countries, and in particular to the HHS team from the Office of Global Affairs, who has worked tirelessly over the past 2+ years to go from trilateral COVID-19 lessons learned to launch of the new NAPAHPI today. In particular, I wanted to recognize my incredible Co-Chair for the U.S. side of the NAPAHPI Health Security Working Group Dr. Maria Julia Marinissen, Ph.D., along with Dr. Robin Moudy, Ana Ayala, Iris Shurdhi, Steven Constantinou, and Dr. Carlos Sanchez. Thanks to all involved for your amazing commitment and dedication to protecting the health and well-being of our populations.
https://lnkd.in/eezKWt5R
#HealthSecurity #RegionalPreparedness #PandemicPreparedness
