The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Ethiopia is supporting the Government of Ethiopia in modernizing and digitalizing its public health emergency systems to enable faster, data-driven decisions for preparedness and response. This transformation is being achieved through strong collaboration with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and the implementation of three interoperable digital platforms — 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 systems provide an end-to-end digital solution that creates a unified ecosystem for emergency data management and coordination.
At the center of this transformation is the ePHEM system, jointly developed by WHO and EPHI. The platform serves as a digital backbone for alert management, incident coordination, and resource tracking, and is now fully operational at the national level. It has already been successfully utilized during recent emergency responses, including the Mpox outbreak, improving reporting efficiency and coordination. In 2025 alone, five national-level training sessions were conducted, reaching 320 users and 70 staff from the Amhara Region, with regional rollouts continuing to expand the system nationwide.
WHO is also supporting the nationwide rollout of DHIS2, which enhances surveillance and routine health data management across all levels of Ethiopia’s health system. More than 2,975 EPHI staff have been trained in using the platform for evidence-based decision-making. Currently covering 72% of districts, DHIS2 is being expanded to include health facilities, allowing real-time data capture, rapid analysis, and faster responses to emerging public health threats.
To further strengthen mortality surveillance and early warning capacities, WHO has supported training for 390 EPHI staff on all-cause mortality surveillance and the DHIS2 tracker. Mortality reporting is now fully integrated into DHIS2, improving Ethiopia’s ability to detect unusual death patterns and launch timely investigations.
In parallel, WHO has helped implement the EIOS platform, which enhances event-based surveillance by gathering and analyzing information from open online sources. This system enables EPHI to detect, verify, and respond to emerging health events more rapidly while complementing traditional indicator-based surveillance systems.
Through these initiatives, WHO and EPHI are building a resilient, integrated, and real-time public health information system that strengthens national health security. By linking surveillance, early warning, and response operations under one digital ecosystem, Ethiopia is moving toward a modernized public health emergency system capable of protecting lives and improving preparedness for future crises.
