Incorporating One Health into a front-line field epidemiological training programme in Papua New Guinea: lessons learned.

Problem: Over the past two decades, there has been increased recognition of the importance of a more holistic approach to preventing, predicting, detecting and responding to public health threats. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to bring together environmental, human and animal health sectors in addressing public health threats and the need to develop skilled front-line workers to act as surge capacity during health emergencies.

Context: Papua New Guinea is a high-risk country for emerging and re-emerging pathogens.

Involvement and readiness of fellows from Papua New Guinea's Field Epidemiology Training Programme in the COVID-19 response, 2020-2021.

Problem: Fellows of the Papua New Guinea Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) were part of the national coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response. However, the specific activities and challenges experienced by fellows in the field were unknown.

Context: The advanced FETP cohort commenced just before the COVID-19 pandemic and all fellows were involved in the response.

Lessons from the first 6 years of an intervention-based field epidemiology training programme in Papua New Guinea, 2013-2018.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) faces a critical shortage of human resources to address pressing public health challenges arising from an increasing burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. PNG is an independent State in the Pacific and home to 8.2 million people.