6.4.6. Special Events

Updated 1 October 2025

Disasters can be natural, accidental, or intentional and include events such as hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fires, and acts of terrorism, including bioterrorism and some of them occur every year in ECC. After disasters, the possibilities for large CD outbreaks and lack of health services are usual and MOH should do:

  • A rapid assessment of the affected areas and surveillance should be adapted, intensified,

and enhanced, together with medical & public health services, using manual or electronic devices to capture and send information for analysis and response to MOH and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) for working integrated.

  • The National Emergency Management Plan (NEMP) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRR and DRM) is activated by the Government, where MOH is active.
  • Pre-disaster health situation analysis and surveillance data, informs MOH which can be the main risk of the affected areas coming from humans, animals, or environment.
  • At same time, health routine data should be used as a baseline for post disaster surveillance activities.

NEMO works in coordination with MOH Disaster Risk Management Committee (DRM), whose information comes from Local level HCF and EpiU, HMIU & EHU. The MOH surveillance activities are:

  • IBS – syndromic, CD reporting and EBS for any health-related threat or acute public health event and EH risks are analyzed in affected areas
  • Usually, a Post-disaster Surveillance Centre is created with specialized personnel, and RRT, EHO, and HCF in the areas are responsible for capturing basic information and sending it to the Centre or to the HMIU at MOH for decision-making.
  • If a cluster or outbreak is suspected or confirmed, additional information and interventions are implemented immediately.
  • CMO is responsible for informing MOH and PS to the situation and proposed interventions to be implemented in the affected areas.
  • HCF that supports the response enhance surveillance activities

EHO do field work for water/food safety, personal and collective hygiene in settings, shelters and displacements, IPC measures, vector control and rapid detection of any event and reports to EHU/EpiU. If high risk of an Immuno-preventable disease does exist, vaccination can be also implemented.

 

Mass gatherings

Mass gatherings are different situations (parties, celebrations, sports games, cultural activities, etc.), where large numbers of people come together for a common goal or purpose in a short time, often for few hours or days. An acute public health event has a higher risk at a mass gathering, been a CD or intoxication outbreak, or an accident, and overwhelm the public health system, the government and community services for effective immediate response.

The steps to be taken for surveillance and response are:

  • Starts preparedness before the gathering in coordination with interested Sectors, do the risk assessment of the places and sanitary conditions, the epidemiological situation of the areas, the nationality and characteristics of the participants, and organization of the gathering, Planning the Health Sector Response and Risk Management, and how surveillance should be implemented and enhanced using different sources from Health Services, Red Cross, Police, Transport, food and water supplies and the Organizers of the gathering.
  • EBS is used, telephones and WhatsApp calls or messages with a phone hotline, cellphone number and also an email at MOH or EpiU for capturing any information.
  • If any signal is detected, an RRT should be ready for case investigation and control.
  • If an outbreak is confirmed it should be attended as such.
  • Risk communication to the public and Sectors is important to avoid panic and unnecessary saturation of the health services, plus adequate preventive measures, and detection of suspect cases.