The
JEE
is
a
voluntary,
collaborative
process
used
globally
to
assess
a
country’s
readiness
to
manage
infectious
disease
outbreaks
and
other
health
emergencies.
It
is
conducted
every
five
years,
with
the
country’s
first
evaluation
completed
in
2018.
“The
JEE
gives
us
a
structured
opportunity
to
check
how
ready
we
are
to
detect
and
respond
to
public
health
threats
and
we
thank
all
the
partners
who
have
made
this
possible,”
said
Dr
Wenceslaus
Nyamayaro,
MoHCC
Acting
Chief
Director,
Public
Health.
The
internal
self-assessment,
the
first
phase
of
the
JEE,
was
completed
in
July
2025
with
over
100
participants
from
across
sectors
including
health,
environment,
veterinary
services,
defense,
disaster
management,
civil
society,
and
development
partners
including
WHO,
UNICEF,
FAO,
Africa
CDC
and
others.
This
participatory
process
assessed
19
technical
areas
ranging
from
biosafety
and
surveillance
to
legislation
and
points
of
entry.
Key
areas
that
emerged
as
requiring
urgent
attention
include
outdated
or
poorly
implemented
legal
instruments,
coupled
with
limited
availability
of
legal
support
at
subnational
levels.
Gender
equity
in
emergencies
remains
a
concern,
with
notable
gaps
in
funding
for
gender-based
violence
(GBV)
prevention
and
response,
as
well
as
low
representation
of
women
in
emergency
preparedness
and
decision-making
processes.
Funding
for
emergency
response
activities
was
also
highlighted
as
inadequate. Surveillance
systems
for
foodborne
illnesses
and
healthcare-associated
infections
(HAIs)
are
still
fragmented,
highlighting
the
need
for
stronger
cross-sector
coordination.
Coordination
between
the
human,
animal
and
environmental
health
sectors
is
still
weak,
showing
the
need
to
improve
how
these
groups
work
together.
Biosafety
and
biosecurity
capacities
also
require
strengthening,
particularly
in
terms
of
laboratory
infrastructure
and
staff
training.
Additionally,
readiness
at
points
of
entry
remains
limited,
with
gaps
in
the
ability
to
detect
and
respond
to
public
health
threats
at
borders
and
airports.
Zimbabwe
also
assessed
its
progress
in
tackling
antimicrobial
resistance
(AMR),
a
growing
global
threat.
While
the
country
has
developed
a
robust
One
Health
AMR
National
Action
Plan
and
established
14
multisectoral
surveillance
sites,
challenges
remain
in
laboratory
capacity,
integration
of
data
systems
and
containment
of
multidrug-resistant
organisms
(MDROs).
The
next
phase
of
the
JEE
will
involve
an
external
validation
mission
scheduled
for
6–13
September
2025.
A
team
of
international
subject
matter
experts,
coordinated
by
WHO’s
Regional
Office
for
Africa,
will
work
with
technical
teams
in
Zimbabwe
to
validate
scores,
review
documentation
and
conduct
site
visits
to
key
health
facilities
including
laboratories
and
points
of
entry.
Following
the
mission,
Zimbabwe
will
develop
or
update
its
National
Action
Plan
for
Health
Security
(NAPHS).
This
plan
will
consolidate
findings
from
the
JEE,
past
outbreak
reviews,
and
risk
assessments
to
guide
future
investments
and
reforms
in
public
health
preparedness.
“The
evaluation
is
about
continuous
improvement.
It
reflects
Zimbabwe’s
commitment
to
protect
the
health
of
its
people
through
stronger
systems,
better
data,
and
broader
collaboration,”
said
Dr.
Desta
Tiruneh,
WHO
Representative
to
Zimbabwe.
The
evaluation
was
made
possible
with
funding
from
the
Health
Resilience
Fund
(HRF)
through
WHO,
with
additional
support
mobilized
by
MoHCC
from
Africa
CDC
and
UNICEF.
Post
published
in:
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