This document provides a practical framework of actions and toolkit for strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) outbreak preparedness, readiness and response at the national and subnational level. The document is targeted at IPC decision-makers, including IPC focal points or others in charge of IPC at the national or subnational level, and is geared towards outbreak response incident managers, outbreak management IPC task forces and national IPC committees. Other target audiences include safety and quality leads and managers, regulatory bodies and allied organizations, including academia, national IPC professional bodies and nongovernmental organizations involved in IPC activities.

This guidance is an update of WHO global influenza preparedness plan: the role of WHO and recommendations for national measures before and during pandemics, published March 2005 (WHO/CDS/CSR/GIP/2005.5).

The WHO Benchmarks for International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Capacities was first published in 2019 and serves as a capacity-building tool and reference document to guide development/updating of country health security plans, including the national action plan for health security (NAPHS). It is now updated to a second edition which incorporates lessons learned from recent health emergencies, as well as alignment with updated IHRMEF tools, the HEPR framework, the WHO Director-General’s ten proposals to build a safer world together, and to build back better through multi-hazard and whole-of-society approaches to support better preparedness for future emergencies. Over 250 relevant technical leads contributed to this edition, by providing inputs from WHO regional offices, countries, partners and participation in global consultation meetings. The second edition is titled “WHO Benchmarks for Strengthening Health Emergency Capacities: Support for the Implementation of International Health Regulations (IHR) and Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPR) Capacities”. WHO benchmarks are further digitalized for easy and quick use, along with a reference library, which is currently being updated. The audience for this document includes WHO Member States, health ministries and other relevant ministries, healthstakeholders, partners, nongovernmental organizations and academia to support building capacities at the country level.

This manual addresses the design and construction of healthcare facilities supporting the response to Ebola and Marburg (E&M) disease outbreaks, particularly in treatment centres (TCs). It provides technical guidance, minimum requirements, practical tools and layout examples, and references for planning, designing, building, and operating healthcare facilities (TCs and others) to respond to E&M disease outbreaks in low– and middle-income contexts and resource-limited settings. The manual complements other World Health Organization (WHO) literature and contributes to the standardization of facility design and operation for safe and humane care and treatment of patients.