Consultant - Influenza Severity Assessment

Purpose of consultancy

To coordinate the development of a robust framework for assessing the severity of influenza globally. Additionally, to 1) undertake regular analysis of the seasonal influenza and other respiratory virus surveillance data to understand trends and advance the incorporation of severity assessments from countries and the global assessment into regular global influenza and other respiratory virus situation updates and 2) facilitate epidemiological technical support to countries for RSV surveillance.

Background

Influenza severity assessment is crucial to guide the timing and scale of interventions during seasonal epidemic and pandemics due to influenza. With Member States and partners, WHO updated global guidance for severity assessment during an influenza pandemic (PISA) in 2024, considering lessons learned and changes to surveillance objectives and systems. Countries implement PISA methods themselves, can incorporate in their own respiratory virus surveillance reports, and can report their assessments on a weekly basis to WHO’s global data platform on respiratory virus surveillance (Respimart). These country assessments can be used to arrive at regional and global assessments and situation updates which are complementary to other surveillance information gathered at national, regional and global levels.

A global severity assessment is anticipated to be derived from multiple sources of epidemiologic, virologic and clinical information, including but not limited to case-based data reported to Respimart, national PISA assessments informed from stable surveillance systems reported to Respimart, time-limited, intensive special studies and investigations and advanced analytics (modelling and statistical methods), as outlined in the draft pandemic surveillance guidance. There is a need for a global framework that outlines how and when these sources of information can inform global severity assessments in the case of an influenza pandemic and that can be practiced during seasonal influenza epidemics.

The expanded GISRS leverages its capacities to monitor the geographic spread, seasonality, disease burden and genetic evolution of non-influenza viruses of pandemic or epidemic potential such as the RSV. With the licensure of RSV prevention products by regulatory authorities, WHO intends to strengthen capacities for integrated surveillance and RSV disease burden estimation in low- and lower-middle income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia to better inform the development and introduction of RSV prevention products as they become widely available and affordable in the coming years.

Deliverables

• Develop Global training materials and tools for implementation of PISA framework,
• Adapt PISA database to the updated PISA framework and migration of historical PISA data to the new framework,
• Develop a comprehensive Global Influenza Severity framework that defines synergies of PISA, pandemic and epidemic modelling, clinical severity, disease burden, impact on health systems, special studies to assess global severity during an influenza pandemic,
• Assist countries in implementing national protocols for integrated surveillance and disease burden estimation.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications

Essential:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s level) preferably in infectious diseases, epidemiology, statistics, biological sciences.

Experience

Essential:

• 5 to 10 years of combined national and international relevant experience in public health.
• Proven experience with influenza and other respiratory virus surveillance.

Desirable:

• Work experience with WHO or another UN or international public health agency.

Skills/Knowledge

Essential:

• Knowledge of influenza severity assessment methods
• Excellent writing and communications skills
• Strong analytic skills and ability to analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources

Languages and level required

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English

Location

Offsite: Home-based

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded)

Remuneration

Band level B: USD 7,000 - 9,980 per month

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited)

N/A

Expected duration of contract

11 months

Additional Information:

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