WHO builds health emergency response capacities
A WHO expert explains the R programming language tool during the training. Photo credit: WHO/Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment Unit25 December 2023, Cairo, Egypt – Data management skills can help experts to better handle health emergency data and respond to public health challenges. To strengthen data management in health emergency response, WHO conducted the Regional Training on Capacity Development of Data Analytics and Dissemination, using R software, in Amman, Jordan, on 3–7 December 2023.
The training was attended by epidemiologists and surveillance officers from the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, ministries of health from Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and WHO country offices in Afghanistan, Egypt and Jordan.
To address a critical need in public health data analytics, participants took part in an in-depth programme to enhance their abilities to manage and analyse health emergency data using R software. This is crucial to maintain the accuracy and timeliness of information.
The training emphasized the importance of using R software, a versatile, open-source programming language tool that public health professionals across the globe are increasingly adopting. The training aimed to equip participants with the skills to handle datasets, automate