Risk-based approach to international travel-related measures
Project details
Year: 2023
Client: World Health Organization - Country Office in Kyrgyzstan
Objectives:
- Perform a review of published experiences, good practices, and recommendations to implement a risk-based approach to international travel-related public health measures;
- Develop a consensual strategy and standard operating procedure to implement a risk-based approach to international travel-related public health measures in Kyrgyzstan.
Deliverables:
- Rapid review report on risk-based approaches to international travel-related measures;
- National multisectoral strategy for international travel-related measures in Kyrgyzstan;
- Standard operating procedure for the risk assessment of a threat abroad and consideration of international travel-related health measures.
Performed activities
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have implemented international travel-related health measures, including blanket restrictions and travel bans. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized the need for risk-based, evidence-informed and context-specific policies when implementing international travel-related measures.
To support the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan in implementing a risk-based approach for international travel-related public health measures, we first conducted a review of related published experiences, good practices, and recommendations.
![Flowchart of included documents and extracted data](/projects/kyrtravel_fig1.png)
Figure 1. Flowchart of included documents and extracted data
Thirty-four documents were included in the review (Figure 1), among which:
- Fifteen provided information on experiences of in-country activities related to a risk-based approach for international travel-related health measures (Figure 2);
- Twenty provided guidance or recommendations for such a risk-based approach.
![Experiences of risk-based approaches to international travel-related health measures](/projects/kyrtravel_fig2.png)
Figure 2. Experiences of risk-based approaches to international travel-related health measures
We extracted and compiled recommendations from all documents included in the review on the following activities:
- Performance of dedicated risk assessments, including objectives, modalities, data sources, and assessment criteria;
- Decision-making, including modalities and factors to be considered;
- Implementation and evaluation of measures.
The results of the review informed the development of:
- A national multisectoral strategy for international travel-related measures in Kyrgyzstan;
- A standard operating procedure for the risk assessment of a threat abroad and the consideration of international travel-related health measures (Figure 3).
These two documents were presented to national stakeholders in Kyrgyzstan to gain consensus on their content and were finalized accordingly.
![Proposed process for the risk assessment of a threat abroad and the consideration of international travel-related health measures](/projects/kyrtravel_fig3.png)
Figure 3. Proposed process for the risk assessment of a threat abroad and the consideration of international travel-related health measures