Panama brings together key stakeholders to advance the prevention and control of respiratory viruses with epidemic and pandemic potential

Panama City, March 6, 2026 (PAHO) - The Ministry of Health of Panama (MINSA), with technical assistance from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), held a national workshop to implement the "Framework for a National Program for the Prevention and Control of Diseases Caused by Respiratory Viruses with Epidemic and Pandemic Potential." The event brought together key stakeholders from the health sector and other strategic sectors, including the Ministry of Agricultural Development, the Social Security Fund, and the Gorgas Memorial Institute, to jointly analyze the country's existing capabilities and advance the development of a national roadmap to strengthen surveillance, prevention, and response to these threats.

The workshop is part of regional efforts to strengthen preparedness against respiratory diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential, in line with the Global Influenza Strategy 2019-2030 and regional health security priorities. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to sustainably strengthen national capacities to detect, monitor, and respond in a timely manner to emerging or re-emerging respiratory viruses.

Over the course of three days, more than 30 representatives from various sectors of the health and animal sectors-including planning, service delivery, health promotion, laboratories, and specialists in infection prevention and control-participated in plenary sessions and technical roundtables. This participatory approach allowed for a comprehensive analysis of national capacities and promoted intersectoral coordination under the One Health framework.

The working process was organized around seven strategic objectives of the regional framework: early detection of respiratory events; epidemiological and virological surveillance; operational research; prevention policies and programs, including immunization; clinical management and infection prevention and control; preparedness and response to epidemics and pandemics; and risk communication and community engagement.

Throughout the technical sessions, participants reviewed current capacity levels in each of these areas, identifying strengths, priority gaps, and opportunities for improvement. This exercise enabled the establishment of a shared assessment of the status of respiratory virus surveillance and control systems in the country, as well as the formulation of recommendations to strengthen coordination among the various programs and sectors involved.

One of the main outcomes of the workshop was the preliminary development of a national roadmap with concrete short-, medium-, and long-term actions aimed at closing the identified gaps. These actions seek to strengthen the early detection of respiratory events, optimize the integration of epidemiological and laboratory information, promote operational research for public health decision-making, and reinforce the health system's preparedness for potential outbreaks or pandemics.