Director Steven Hoffman and Co-Director Mathieu Poirier’s recommendations on improving the CDC’s quarantine network’s response to emerging threats were cited in the NASEM Report 2022: Improving the CDC Quarantine Station Network’s Response to Emerging Threats (2022).
In January 2022, Director Hoffman and Co-Director Poirier were invited to give a presentation to the NASEM “Committee for the Analysis to Enhance the Effectiveness of the Federal Quarantine Station Network based on Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hoffman and Poirier explained that the Committee received presentations indicating that many countries did not act in ways consistent with their IHR requirements, a further indication of the need for the IHR to be updated. This led to the conclusion that international collaboration is an important component of the DGMQ’s activities. The main framework for international collaboration regarding disease control and prevention are the International Health Regulations (IHR).
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for the IHR to evolve in order to respond to future public health emergencies on a global scale. Since the DGMQ is the division within the CDC responsible for implementing the IHR, the DGMQ needs to play a major role in the ongoing revision of the IHR. The GSL Director and Co-Directors provided the below recommendations:
Improve collaboration with international partners through regularly scheduled forums:
1. Actively engage in the International Health Regulations (IHR) revision process.
2. Ensure the continuity of binational collaborations in border areas to facilitate the development of trust between partners.
3. Participate with other agencies and partners in the development and implementation of a harmonized approach to border measures with Mexico and Canada that features common protocols for disease surveillance and response in border areas.
Download the NASEM Report 2022: Improving the CDC Quarantine Station Network’s Response to Emerging Threats (2022).
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