Hundreds of emergency health professionals from across the world are in Tel Aviv and Beersheva this week to share the latest findings and new experiences concerning health system readiness for disasters and emergencies of all types.

The Israeli Ministry of Health and the Home Front Command are hosting delegates from 30 countries – among them the U.S., Brazil, Germany, Belgium, China, South Africa, Singapore, Austria, Ukraine, UK, Canada — as well as from the WHO, at the Fourth Israeli International Conference on Healthcare System, Preparedness and Response to Emergencies and Disasters.

Israel is a world leader in emergency response.

Special attention is being dedicated to emerging or re-emerging threats, such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) or the Ebola outbreak as well as threats posed by natural or man-made disasters that present a great challenge to human health and global stability.

The January 10-13, 2016 meeting includes workshops, lectures, a large scale toxicological drill and a simulated Mass Casualty Event (MCE) at Soroka Medical Center.

The drill will involve first emergency responders of local and regional emergency systems such as the police and paramedics and Homefront Command at the simulated event site as well as the Department of Emergency Medicine and the PREPARED Center for Emergency Response Research.

(via Israel21c)

[Photo: Flash90 ]