Dr. Dame Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), today signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dr. Eunkyeong Jeong, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Since its launch in November 2021, UKHSA has been working closely with organisations across the world specialising in global health protection - it signed an MoU with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in December.
The areas of mutual interest for cooperation under this MoU include:
- public health emergency preparedness and response
- surveillance and control of epidemic-prone diseases, including viral haemorrhagic fevers
- laboratory capacity-building and enhancement to detect and respond to emerging disease threats of global health importance
- antimicrobial resistance and healthcare associated infection control
- vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisations policy
- pathogen information and resource
- public health training and experts exchange
The 2 organisations will exchange best practice, pursue joint scientific programmes and research projects, and subsequently publish findings as appropriate.
As part of this MoU, UKHSA and KDCA will engage in an annual or bi-annual policy dialogue, host regular consultations to explore potential areas of bilateral cooperation, and establish mutually beneficial scientific training opportunities, such as a personnel exchange programme between the parties.
Dr. Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of UKHSA, said:
I am delighted to be able to sign this agreement with Dr. Jeong today.
We are developing robust surveillance systems and building capacity to respond to current and future health emergencies, so to be able to combine with another world leader in this area presents a fantastic opportunity.
Protecting citizens from emerging global health threats is one of our core priorities. This agreement with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reinforces our commitment and I hope will further strengthen international cooperation on important health security issues.
Dr. Jeong, Commissioner of KDCA, said:
My heartiest congratulations on the successful opening of the UK Health Security Agency. I also would like to give my warmest congratulations on the inauguration of Dr. Jenny Harries as the first Director of UKHSA.
Implementation of bilateral collaborative projects is important to ensure that the 2 agencies can engage in efficient collaboration on preparedness for and response to global infectious disease threats. To this end, I would like to propose a working level discussion as well as an annual high-level policy dialogue. I hope that UKHSA and KDCA will establish a much closer, future-oriented partnership, and thus achieve the common goal of future pandemic preparedness.
