Ethiopia is making major progress in building digital health emergency systems through a strong partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) Ethiopia Country Office and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). The collaboration aims to modernize the country’s emergency preparedness and response by deploying interoperable digital platforms for surveillance, alert management, and resource coordination.
At the center of the initiative is the Electronic Public Health Emergency Management (ePHEM) system, jointly developed by WHO and EPHI. The system functions as a digital backbone for alert tracking, incident coordination and resource monitoring in health emergencies. It is now operational at the national level in Ethiopia and has already been applied in response to the Mpox outbreak.
Alongside ePHEM, two other key platforms are being implemented: the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) platform for surveillance and routine health-data management, and the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system which uses open-source intelligence to detect emerging threats. Together, these tools form the foundation of Ethiopia’s digital health emergency systems, enabling faster information flow and coordinated response across the health sector.
Through the DHIS2 platform more than 2,975 EPHI staff at national, regional and woreda levels have been trained in data collection, analysis and use for evidence-based decision-making. Coverage now extends to 72% of districts nationwide and efforts are underway to expand into health facilities.
With mortality monitoring fully integrated into routine surveillance, the system now enables early detection of abnormal death trends that may signal emerging outbreaks.
Training efforts have been substantial, and in 2025 WHO supported five rounds of national-level trainings for the ePHEM system, reaching 320 users alongside 70 regional staff in the Amhara Region, with cascading roll-out across additional regions now underway.
Meanwhile EPHI staff have also received training on the EIOS platform to strengthen event-based surveillance by analysing public-domain data from news, social media and community sources. This complements traditional indicator-based systems and supports quicker verification of threats.
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According to WHO’s communications officer in Ethiopia, Alemtsehay Zergaw Gebremichael, the goal is to establish a resilient, real-time, integrated public health information system that supports coordinated emergency response across all levels of government.
By linking surveillance, early warning and operational response data in a unified ecosystem Ethiopia is enhancing its capacity to protect lives and strengthen national health security.
The integrated digital health emergency systems now being deployed mark a significant leap forward for Ethiopia’s health infrastructure. With strategic training, broad platform coverage and a strong international partnership, the country is positioning itself to respond more swiftly and with greater precision when health threats emerge.
