WHO enhances Ethiopia’s public health emergency systems with advanced digital platforms

ETHIOPIA—The World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Ethiopia has intensified its support for the Ethiopian government in modernizing and digitalizing public health emergency systems.

This collaboration aims to enable timely, data-driven decisions that improve preparedness and response to health crises.

WHO works closely with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) to implement three connected digital platforms.

These include the Electronic Public Health Emergency Management (ePHEM) system, the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2), and the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS).

Together, these platforms create a unified digital solution for managing emergency data and coordination.

Central to this effort is the ePHEM system, developed jointly by WHO and EPHI.

It functions as the digital backbone for managing alerts, coordinating incidents, and tracking resources.

 The system is now fully operational nationwide and has been successfully used during recent emergencies, such as the Mpox outbreak.

In 2025, WHO supported five nationwide training sessions, reaching 320 users and 70 staff from the Amhara Region.

Training is now expanding to other regions to increase the system’s use across the country.

Alongside ePHEM, WHO supports the national rollout of DHIS2 to improve health surveillance and routine data management at all health system levels.

So far, over 2,975 EPHI staff from national, regional, and district (woreda) levels have received training to enhance their skills in data collection, analysis, and evidence-based decision-making.

Currently, DHIS2 covers 72% of districts, with plans to extend its use to health facilities.

 This expansion will allow real-time data collection, rapid analysis, and quicker responses to emerging public health threats.

WHO also helped train 390 EPHI staff in mortality surveillance and the DHIS2 tracker system to strengthen monitoring and early warning capabilities.

Mortality data reporting is now integrated into the DHIS2 system, improving the country’s ability to notice unusual death trends and respond accordingly.

Meanwhile, the EIOS platform boosts event-based surveillance by gathering and analyzing health threat data from publicly available online sources.

It has enabled EPHI to detect, verify, and respond to emerging health events faster and to complement traditional surveillance methods.

Through these digital advances, WHO supports EPHI in building a more integrated, real-time public health information system.

This system links surveillance, early warnings, and response data within a single platform, enhancing emergency coordination and decision-making.

Ethiopia is moving steadily towards a modern, digital public health emergency system that strengthens national health security and protects its population.

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