MECIDS and its contribution along the years as a pragmatic platform of collaboration between health professionals from the ministries of health and academia in Jordan, Palestinian Authority and Israel to enhance surveillance and response to infectious diseases of regional and global importance. Initially focused on enhancing foodborne disease surveillance (e.g. salmonellosis), MECIDS has expanded the scope of its work to also include avian and pandemic influenza, Middle-East Corona Virus Respiratory Syndrome (MERS CoV) and vector-borne diseases such as West Nile Fever and leishmaniasis. Collaboration through MECIDS, sustainable even during times of political dispute and outbreaks of violence, includes data sharing, design and implementation of joint surveillance protocols and development of rapid response strategies to public health emergencies with cross-border emphasis and under the principles of WHO International Health Regulations (IHR). To enhance the surveillance activities and for capacity building, MECIDS has held throughout the years numerous training cycles, workshops and courses with focus on infectious diseases prevention and control, field epidemiology, laboratory methods and Public Health laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity.
The experience accumulated from previously addressed emerging events can be used by MECIDS to offer means of communication and collaboration among its partners (Israel, Palestinian Authority and Jordan) when dealing today with the threat of the novel corona virus pandemic transmission. Also, MECIDS is also actively involved in a project to enhance surveillance of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in African countries.
The Middle East Consortium for Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS) was established in 2003 by health professionals from the Ministries of Health and academia of Jordan, Palestinian Authority and Israel to fulfill the goal of facilitating trans-border cooperation in response to disease outbreaks.
With its administrative secretariat in Jerusalem, MECIDS is able to connect and collaborate with a wide range of regional academic institutions, national centers for disease control, Health professionals, and health ministries.
MECIDS mission is to promote long term health, stability and security in the region. MECIDS provide a framework for participating public health officials and academic to share information and data about disease patterns, and coordinate swift cross-boarder responses in the event of an outbreak.
