The Ministry of Health and Human Services in Somalia, in collaboration with the National Institute of Health, has completed a 3-day simulation exercise in Mogadishu to enhance the country's Ebola response capabilities. The exercise, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), aimed to test Somalia's preparedness to detect, verify, report, and respond to a potential Ebola case. The simulation involved 70 participants from various government agencies and partner organizations.
The simulation exercise consisted of tabletop and functional sessions that evaluated coordination between federal and state authorities, points of entry, referral pathways, information sharing, risk communication, and response planning. Participants worked through six tabletop scenarios, including a regional alert, increased population movement, and a suspected traveler at a point of entry. These scenarios helped clarify roles and responsibilities for verification, risk analysis, coordination, and partner communication.
The exercise also included a functional phase that tested the effectiveness of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and incident-management structure under simulated emergency conditions. The simulation identified gaps in reporting lines, notification and referral pathways, point-of-entry arrangements, governance of public communication, and ownership of actions. An improvement action plan was developed to address these gaps and track progress.
According to Dr. Ahmed Dahir, a.i. Health Emergency Lead at WHO Somalia, simulation exercises provide a safe and practical environment to test plans, procedures, and coordination systems before they are needed in a real emergency. The exercise was conducted with support from WHO Somalia, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, and WHO headquarters.
The simulation exercise took place against the backdrop of a large Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has reported 6,757 confirmed cases and 3,267 deaths across 61 health zones in six provinces as of September 7, 2026. Somalia's preparedness agenda is influenced by various factors, including conflict, climate shocks, displacement, and concurrent outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2.
Dr. Hassan Ahmed, Director of the Emergency Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services, Somalia, emphasized that the exercise provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen readiness before a real event. The findings of the exercise will be used to inform practical actions to enhance Somalia's Ebola preparedness and readiness.
The simulation exercise was a learning activity that did not involve real patients, specimens, or alerts. The scenarios simulated did not reflect any event in Somalia, and the exercise was not an indication that a case had been detected. The support from WHO and other partners helped participants translate the findings into concrete actions to strengthen Somalia's Ebola preparedness.
Key points
- Somalia's Ministry of Health and Human Services conducts a 3-day simulation exercise to test Ebola detection, response, and coordination.
- The exercise identifies gaps in reporting lines, notification and referral pathways, and point-of-entry arrangements.
- The simulation exercise aims to strengthen Somalia's Ebola preparedness and readiness in the face of a large Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
