- The Institut Pasteur and the U.S. CDC sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote global public health, May 27, 2009, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland - The Institut Pasteur and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the occasion of the Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO), in Geneva, last week. The agreement unites the efforts of these two organizations – both leaders in the field of global public health – by creating a framework for shared and lasting actions to benefit public health and health security at the international level.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed* by the Institut Pasteur and the U.S. CDC will reinforce the exchange of information and the realization of collaborative actions around the globe, notably with regard to initiatives supported by the WHO aiming to improve global health security and fight infectious disease. The objective is to optimize the response of both institutions by enhanced coordination, particularly during emergency situations such as the outbreak of new epidemics. The accord helps strengthen the ongoing exchange and circulation of information between these two institutions.
The leadership of the Institut Pasteur and the U.S. CDC hope furthermore to unite their efforts to implement the International Health Regulations (IHR) through a mutually agreed-upon approach. As a result, the two institutions will improve their ability to work closely with international bodies and provide technical support to countries in need, particularly in the areas of evaluation of needs for surveillance programs and the implementation of action plans.
The Institut Pasteur and the CDC also expect to reap long-term benefits by providing an improved response to emerging challenges in the field of international public health.
* The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Alice Dautry, president of the Institut Pasteur, and Stephen B. Blount, director of the Coordinating Office for Global Health at the CDC, in the presence of Yves Charpak, director of International Affairs at the Institut Pasteur, and representatives of WHO led by Guénaël Rodier, director in charge of International Health Regulations (IHR) at WHO.
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