Well timed detection and response to public well being threats are important to international well being safety, significantly in international locations susceptible to frequent outbreaks. As a part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen surveillance programs in keeping with the Worldwide Well being Rules (IHR 2005) and the Built-in Illness Surveillance and Response (IDSR) framework, the Ethiopian Public Well being Institute (EPHI), in collaboration with the World Well being Group (WHO), organized a nationwide coaching workshop on Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS). The first goal of the coaching was to construct nationwide capability to successfully make the most of open-source knowledge for real-time epidemic intelligence and evidence-based decision-making.
The workshop was held from March 10–14, 2025, at Kereyu Hill Resort in Adama, Ethiopia, and introduced collectively 22 individuals from the Ministry of Well being (MoH), EPHI, the IHR, and One Well being Workplace, and different related public well being sectors. Members included epidemiologists, knowledge analysts, and emergency coordinators, all of whom engaged in a complete coaching program combining theoretical instruction with hands-on software of the EIOS platform.
Coaching classes coated a variety of subjects, together with the basics of public well being intelligence, media monitoring, knowledge mining, and outbreak verification. Sensible case research—equivalent to simulated outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever and an unknown respiratory virus—supplied individuals with real-time situations for early warning, danger evaluation, and response coordination.
The coaching yielded a number of necessary achievements. It considerably enhanced the technical capability of individuals in detecting and analyzing public well being threats by means of open-source knowledge. The workshop additionally facilitated the revision of nationwide customary working procedures (SOPs) associated to media monitoring and epidemic intelligence, guaranteeing they replicate present operational wants. Furthermore, it strengthened collaboration amongst public well being, veterinary, and One Well being stakeholders, selling a extra coordinated and multisectoral method to epidemic preparedness. Lastly, the coaching raised consciousness of the vital function that open-source surveillance performs in enhancing nationwide readiness for public well being emergencies.
WHO supplied technical help and made the EIOS platform accessible for sensible coaching. Monetary backing from the European Civil Safety and Humanitarian Help Operations (ECHO) enabled the coaching.
 The hands-on method considerably boosted participant engagement, data retention, and utilized expertise. Whereas the EIOS platform proved efficient, some trainees initially confronted challenges with navigation, underscoring the necessity for ongoing coaching and follow-up mentoring. Importantly, the workshop bolstered the worth of sustained collaboration amongst MoH, EPHI, WHO, and One Well being companions as a basis for institutionalizing epidemic intelligence inside Ethiopia’s broader public well being surveillance framework.
Total, the EIOS capacity-building workshop represented a serious step ahead in strengthening Ethiopia’s epidemic intelligence and early warning programs. Shifting ahead, continued technical help, refresher trainings, and stronger intersectoral coordination are really helpful to construct on these positive aspects. Full integration of EIOS into the nationwide surveillance system will additional improve Ethiopia’s potential to anticipate, detect, and reply successfully to rising public well being threats.