BMJ Global Health (Apr 2024)
Informing the pandemic response: the role of the WHO’s COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update
- Maria D Van Kerkhove,
- Mahmoud Hassan,
- Ibrahima Socé Fall,
- Olivier Le Polain de Waroux,
- Boris Igor Pavlin,
- Sandra Adele,
- Kazuki Shimizu,
- Oliver Morgan,
- Daniel Feikin,
- Lorenzo Subissi,
- Richard G Pebody,
- Masaya Kato,
- Opeayo Ogundiran,
- Ana Riviere-Cinnamond,
- Tshewang Dorji,
- Ingrid Hammermeister Nezu,
- Friday Idoko,
- Tamano Matsui,
- Silviu Ciobanu,
- Juniorcaius Ikejezie,
- Blanche Johanna Greene-Cramer,
- Tondri Noe Guinko,
- Samuel Mesfin,
- Harsh Lata,
- Alessandro Miglietta,
- Yurie Izawa,
- Aura Rocio Escobar Corado Waeber,
- Anahi Rico Chinchilla,
- Adedoyin Awofisayo-Okuyelu,
- Esther Hamblion,
- Melissa M Higdon,
- Ayse Acma,
- Samuel Moro,
- Homa Attar Cohen,
- Mary Anissa Sinnathamby,
- James Richard Otieno,
- Yosef Temre,
- Brian Ngongheh Ajong,
- Bernadette Basuta Mirembe,
- Vaishali Sodagar,
- Craig Schultz,
- Joao Muianga,
- Stéphane De Barros,
- Yeowon Jin,
- Shagun Khare,
- Marcia Poole,
- Nyka Alexander,
- Manilay Phengxay,
- Emilie Peron,
- Brett Nicholas Archer,
- Zyleen Alnashir Kassamali,
- Abdi Mahamud
Affiliations
- Maria D Van Kerkhove
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Mahmoud Hassan
- World Health Organisation Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt
- Ibrahima Socé Fall
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Olivier Le Polain de Waroux
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Boris Igor Pavlin
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Sandra Adele
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Kazuki Shimizu
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Oliver Morgan
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Daniel Feikin
- Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Lorenzo Subissi
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Richard G Pebody
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Masaya Kato
- World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi, India
- Opeayo Ogundiran
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo
- Ana Riviere-Cinnamond
- World Health Organization Regional Office for the Americas, Washington, DC, USA
- Tshewang Dorji
- World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi, India
- Ingrid Hammermeister Nezu
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Friday Idoko
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Tamano Matsui
- World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
- Silviu Ciobanu
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Juniorcaius Ikejezie
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Blanche Johanna Greene-Cramer
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Tondri Noe Guinko
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Samuel Mesfin
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Harsh Lata
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Alessandro Miglietta
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Yurie Izawa
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Aura Rocio Escobar Corado Waeber
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Anahi Rico Chinchilla
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Adedoyin Awofisayo-Okuyelu
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Esther Hamblion
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Melissa M Higdon
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Ayse Acma
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Samuel Moro
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Homa Attar Cohen
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Mary Anissa Sinnathamby
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- James Richard Otieno
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Yosef Temre
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Brian Ngongheh Ajong
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Bernadette Basuta Mirembe
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Vaishali Sodagar
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Craig Schultz
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Joao Muianga
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Stéphane De Barros
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Yeowon Jin
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Shagun Khare
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Marcia Poole
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Nyka Alexander
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Manilay Phengxay
- World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
- Emilie Peron
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Brett Nicholas Archer
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Zyleen Alnashir Kassamali
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Abdi Mahamud
- Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014466
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 9,
no. 4
Abstract
On 31 December 2019, the Municipal Health Commission of Wuhan, China, reported a cluster of atypical pneumonia cases. On 5 January 2020, the WHO publicly released a Disease Outbreak News (DON) report, providing information about the pneumonia cases, implemented response interventions, and WHO’s risk assessment and advice on public health and social measures. Following 9 additional DON reports and 209 daily situation reports, on 17 August 2020, WHO published the first edition of the COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update (WEU). On 1 September 2023, the 158th edition of the WEU was published on WHO’s website, marking its final issue. Since then, the WEU has been replaced by comprehensive global epidemiological updates on COVID-19 released every 4 weeks. During the span of its publication, the webpage that hosts the WEU and the COVID-19 Operational Updates was accessed annually over 1.4 million times on average, with visits originating from more than 100 countries. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the WEU process, from data collection to publication, focusing on the scope, technical details, main features, underlying methods, impact and limitations. We also discuss WHO’s experience in disseminating epidemiological information on the COVID-19 pandemic at the global level and provide recommendations for enhancing collaboration and information sharing to support future health emergency responses.