Sespa conducts tabletop exercise to strengthen the fight against arboviruses in Pará
Simulation exercise in partnership with PAHO and the Ministry of Health tests response plans of the municipalities of Belém, Ananindeua, and Marituba
The State Department of Public Health of Pará (Sespa), through the Health Surveillance Directorate, is promoting a tabletop exercise from September 16 to 18 at the auditorium of the State School of Public Governance of Pará (EGPA) in Belém, to assess the capacity to respond to public health emergencies caused by arboviruses, such as dengue, zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever, in large event situations.
The tabletop exercise is a training conducted in a controlled environment, such as meeting rooms, to test and improve contingency plans aimed at crises and disasters. The initiative is supported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Ministry of Health, focusing on preparing the municipalities of Belém, Ananindeua, and Marituba for such situations.
According to the state coordinator of Arboviruses, Aline Carneiro, the exercise will allow for discussions on real scenarios that may arise in mass events. "Here, situations that may occur will be worked on, seeking joint solutions and the development of a document that serves as a reference for municipalities in facing arboviruses," she explained.
Representatives from the State Central Laboratory (Lacen), State Coordination of Entomology, Vector Control Unit (UBV), State Central Hospital Regulation, Directorate of Comprehensive Health Care Policies (DPAIS), Center for Strategic Information in Health Surveillance (Cievs), and Communication Advisory (Ascom) are participating in the activity. The program began with the presentation of municipal action plans, and throughout the days, different scenarios are worked on for analysis, debate, and solution building.
How the exercise works
Wildo Navegantes, national consultant for the Coordination of Public Health Emergencies at PAHO and facilitator of the exercise, explained the dynamics of the activity. "The tabletop exercise aims to stimulate and test the contingency plans developed for arboviruses, checking if the State is aligned with the municipalities and the Ministry of Health in controlling these diseases," he emphasized.
According to the consultant, the proposed scenarios are semi-fictional, based on situations already experienced in other locations or in Pará itself. During the discussions, participants receive triggering questions in controlled time, in order to test the existing tools. "In total, there will be six scenarios: we start with the simplest and advance to the most complex. The goal is to identify strengths and correct weaknesses, ensuring greater safety in large events," he concluded.
