Health Emergency Information and Reporting Officer

WHO in the Western Pacific

Together with 37 Member States and areas, we fight infectious diseases like dengue and malaria, and noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Through immunization campaigns and initiatives such as First Embrace, we help mothers and children survive and thrive. We ensure the safety of our environment, our air, our water and our food – all of which impact our health every day. We prepare for and rapidly respond to disasters and emergencies, never losing sight of the fact that we are dealing with issues of life and death. With the stakes so high, we strive for excellence in working to bring better health and well-being to the nearly 1.9 billion people of the Western Pacific Region.

WHO is a public international organization, consisting of 194 Member States, and a Specialized Agency of the United Nations. It was established in 1948 with the mandate to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. WHO’s roles include coordinating international responses to health emergencies and outbreaks, setting global norms and standards, promoting healthier lives and expanding universal health coverage.

The UN Volunteer (UNV) will be a member of the Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment (HIM) unit of the Division of Health Security and Emergencies (DSE) and the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE). The mandate of DSE/WHE is to support Member States prevent, prepare for, detect and rapidly respond to disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. The core responsibilities of the HIM unit are to detect and verify emerging health threats, assess risk, and guide response measures using data-driven analysis. The HIM unit monitors events through informal and official sources and coordinates with countries under the International Health Regulations. It also provides technical assistance to Member States and supports capacity-building in technical areas including surveillance.

This UNV assignment forms part of the HIM unit’s role to detect, verify, and disseminate information internally, as well as to key partners and Member States. The role will report to the Programme Area Manager of the HIM Unit, while working with other units in the WHE as required.

• Support surveillance of potential outbreaks and public health events that pose a risk in countries in the Western Pacific region using official and unofficial information sources, including Epidemic Intelligence from Open Source (EIOS)
• Assist in verifying detected signals and events, in collaboration with WHO Country Offices as needed
• Assist the HIM team in conducting risk assessments and managing events
• Contribute to the production of epidemiological information products, including daily, weekly, and monthly surveillance reports, and other ad-hoc information products
• As required, support development and troubleshooting of EIOS boards to enhance monitoring of priority public health threats, including technical support to Member States