The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has launched the Syrian Arab Republic’s second cohort of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP), strengthening the capacity of health workers to detect disease outbreaks earlier and respond rapidly to public health risks.

Disease surveillance helps health authorities identify unusual patterns of illness before they develop into wider outbreaks. By training public health professionals to collect, analyse and act on health data, FETP supports faster responses, helping protect families and communities in Syria and – because infectious diseases can spread beyond borders – across the Region.

The latest cohort brings together 37 public health professionals – 25 residents and 12 mentors – from 14 governorates. Participants receive practical, competency-based training in disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, data analysis, rapid response and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in public health.

The integration of AI into the curriculum is a key feature of this second cohort. Participants are learning how AI-assisted tools can help analyse health data, identify signals that may require further investigation and support faster, evidence-informed decision-making. These tools complement, rather than replace, epidemiological expertise and public health judgement.