Mexico, the United States, and Canada have launched the North America Initiative for Pandemic Preparedness in Animals and Humans (NAPAHPI), recognizing the importance of enhancing coordination and collaboration among these countries to address the challenges posed by public health threats.
The NAPAHPI aims to tackle the One Health challenges, adopt new technologies and practices in the North American region, and advance a common vision for surveillance and early identification of risk factors and planning responses to health emergency situations.
Health Minister Mark Holland stated, "The North America Initiative for Animal and Human Pandemic Preparedness demonstrates what can be achieved when our three countries work together toward a common vision."
This new initiative seeks to strengthen North America's public health preparedness with a coordinated focus on areas such as zoonotic potential animal diseases, epidemiological surveillance, preventive and therapeutic measures, among other important aspects.
The NAPAHPI builds on trilateral and intersectoral collaboration on pandemic influenza through its previous versions and will be led by a Senior Coordination Body and a Health Security Working Group. The main agencies involved include sectors of human health, animal health, agriculture, security, and foreign relations.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra emphasized the importance of this new collaboration between the countries and the need to work together on a sustained and lasting strategy to improve health security for all. The NAPAHPI broadens its focus beyond influenza to encompass a wider range of public health threats.
In this new era of the NAPAHPI, close coordination among governments, industry, and community leaders is sought to ensure the success of this initiative. The new NAPAHPI replaces the North America Plan for Animal and Pandemic Influenza of 2012 and is based on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as commitments made by the three countries at previous North America leaders' summits.
