Canada, the United States and Mexico release the North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative (NAPAHPI)

An initiative between Canada and partner countries to strengthen our ability to prepare for and respond to public health threats

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Canada, the United States and Mexico have a strong and longstanding partnership, and are connected across many areas, including health, business and social relationships. This interconnectedness means that disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or other threats to health security, can have impacts across all three countries. Through continued coordination and cooperation, we can support the health and well-being of our populations.   

Today, the Public Health Agency of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada, and their respective counterparts in the United States and Mexico, released the North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative (NAPAHPI). 

NAPAHPI fulfills commitments made during the 2021 and 2023 North American Leaders' Summits to strengthen North America's regional health security by working together to mitigate and respond to public health threats. It also provides a flexible framework that will help North American partners collaborate to address the challenges of potential future pandemics or other public health threats that require a coordinated response.

The NAPAHPI complements the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) and other international mechanisms which seek to strengthen and protect global health security, and supports a One Health approach that considers the relationships between the health of humans, animals, and the environment.

Together, Canada, the United States and Mexico will advance NAPAHPI's goals by working on key areas for collaboration:

• animal diseases with zoonotic potential;
• epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnostics;
• medical countermeasures;
• public health measures;
• medical supply chains;
• health systems;
• risk communications;
• border health measures;
• critical infrastructure;
• risk assessment and foresight risk analyses;
• joint exercises and training; and
• sustainable financing.

Quotes

"Canada, the United States and Mexico have a long-standing friendship and history of collaboration. The North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative demonstrates what can be achieved when our three countries work together on a common vision. Through more effective coordination and collaboration, we can identify and implement actions that seek to protect the health and safety of our populations, while minimizing economic and social impacts."
-- The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health

 "The United States is committed to strengthening health security and preparing for future threats. To be successful we must coordinate closely across governments, as well as with industry and community leaders – which is what this platform makes possible. Our nations cannot be strong unless they are healthy. That's why we will continue to work together on a sustained, durable strategy that improves health security for all."
-- Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services

"This new framework for collaboration between Mexico, Canada and the United States on preparedness for animal and human pandemics is an example of the close cooperation between the three countries. The framework will help us address the challenges of One Health and adopt new technologies and practices in the North American region. Additionally, it will promote a shared vision for surveillance, early identification of risk factors, and the planning and implementation of cooperative and sustainable responses to health emergencies. This trinational effort will translate into more efficient protection strategies for our populations."
-- David Kershenobich, Minister of Health

Quick Facts

• NAPAHPI replaces the 2007 North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza, and the 2012 North American Plan for Animal and Pandemic Influenza.
• NAPAHPI builds on the history of this tripartite collaboration, as well as on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health events over the past decade.
• For nearly two decades, the three partner countries have met regularly to discuss, prepare for and respond to public health threats such as H1N1, MERS-CoV, Ebola, Zika, the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks.
• NAPAHPI is led by a Senior Coordinating Body as a key decision-making forum and a Health Security Working Group as its technical arm, with members from the human health, animal health/agriculture, security and foreign affairs sectors.
• The principal agencies in the governance structure are:
  • Canada: Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada.
  • United States: Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture, Department of Homeland Security and Department of State.
  • Mexico: Secretariat of Health/Secretaría de Salud, Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development/Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural, Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection/Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana, and Secretariat of Foreign Affairs/Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores.  

Associated Links

• North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative (NAPAHPI)

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

Contacts: Matthew Kronberg, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, 343-552-5654; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709