Exercise Polaris II was conducted on April 22–23 with participation from Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Paraguay, and Suriname to assess and strengthen national pandemic response capacities across the Americas. Coordinated by the World Health Organization with support from the Pan American Health Organization, the simulation tested how countries respond to a rapidly spreading novel pathogen under high operational pressure.
The exercise operated within the framework of the Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC), launched in 2023, and the WHO National Health Emergency Alert and Response Framework. It simulated outbreak detection, activation of Emergency Operations Centres, workforce surge deployment, and coordination across national, regional, and global levels, emphasizing real-time decision-making and cross-border collaboration.
Countries worked through two main phases: the first focused on outbreak detection and activation of national response systems, while the second emphasized regional coordination, surge staffing, and international support mechanisms. Participants identified key gaps such as workforce limitations, data interoperability challenges, and the need for faster emergency escalation systems.
National experiences highlighted different strengths, including Colombia’s decentralized emergency response model, Brazil’s laboratory network integration across federal and state levels, and Paraguay’s inter-institutional coordination supported by regional preparedness initiatives like PROTECT. These insights underscored the value of shared learning and adaptable best practices across countries.
The exercise will feed into an after-action review report with recommendations to improve preparedness, interoperability, and emergency response systems. PAHO and WHO reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and ensuring that lessons learned translate into stronger, more coordinated health emergency readiness across the Americas.
