Within days of arriving in Fiji, the team of overseas infectious diseases experts realized this would not be a technical mission like any they had experienced before.
Tropical cyclones disrupted travel. Power outages interrupted daily routines. Road closures reshaped carefully planned schedules. Yet for the health workers they had come to support, these were simply part of everyday life.
For three infectious disease experts from Singapore, the experience became as much about understanding the realities of Pacific health systems as it was about strengthening dengue preparedness.
Deployed through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), Drs Partha De, Chia Po Ying, and Tay Zong Min spent 3 weeks working alongside Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services, the Fiji Centre for Disease Control, the National Public Health Laboratory and regional public health partners to strengthen dengue clinical management and laboratory preparedness.
They returned home with something equally important: a deeper understanding of how context, collaboration and local knowledge shape effective outbreak preparedness.
More than a technical mission
GOARN deployments are built on partnership. Through requests for assistance issued by countries and regions, experts from institutions around the world contribute specialized expertise where it is needed most, helping strengthen preparedness before emergencies occur.
For the Singapore team from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the deployment quickly became an opportunity to experience the realities behind the health systems they had previously only discussed in workshops and technical meetings.
Working alongside clinicians, laboratory specialists and public health professionals, they gained firsthand insight into the logistical, operational and resource challenges that shaped dengue preparedness across Pacific island countries.
"Although we went over to help, we also experienced the local challenges and that was a great shift in perspective," reflected Dr Chia Po Ying.
That perspective reinforced an important lesson: strengthening health systems begins with understanding the environment in which they function.
/countries/fiji/lami-health-centre-in-suva--fiji.jpg?sfvrsn=acd42e84_1 "Lami Health Centre in Suva, Fiji")
Drs Tay Zong Min, Chia Po Ying and Partha De at Lami Health Centre in Suva, Fiji. © WHO
Learning from local expertise and lived experience
Rather than a one-way transfer of expertise, the deployment quickly became a genuine exchange of knowledge.
The team worked closely with clinicians, laboratory specialists and public health professionals, sharing technical expertise while learning from Fiji's experience managing dengue in a resource-constrained island setting.
"What struck us most was [that] they were working with limited resources yet remained deeply committed to patient care and continuous improvement,” said Dr Chia.
The openness of Fiji's health institutions became one of the defining features of the deployment.
"Trust allowed us to learn from each other and work more effectively, together," said Dr Partha De.
Those relationships became one of the deployment's most valuable outcomes. Beyond the immediate technical work, they laid the foundation for continued collaboration, future training opportunities and stronger professional networks between Fiji, Singapore and the wider Pacific.
/countries/fiji/national-centre-for-infectious-diseases.jpg?sfvrsn=3ffbcfbf_1 "National Centre for Infectious Diseases")
GOARN deployments provide on-the-ground experience for infectious disease experts. © National Centre for Infectious Diseases / Po Ying Chia
Strengthening dengue preparedness for the Pacific
Through workshops, hospital visits and discussions with specialists from across the region, the experts developed a deeper understanding of both the shared and unique challenges Pacific island countries face in preparing for dengue outbreaks.
Those discussions informed the development of dengue management guidance tailored specifically for Pacific settings.
Rather than adapting international guidance without consideration of local realities, the approach centred on co-developing recommendations that reflect Pacific epidemiology, available resources and operational contexts.
The experience reinforced a lesson raised repeatedly throughout the deployment: effective outbreak preparedness begins long before patients arrive at hospital.
"By strengthening early environmental surveillance and community-level interventions, countries can flatten the curve of dengue outbreaks – reducing peak case numbers and protecting health systems from being overwhelmed," explained Dr Chia.
Preparedness has no borders
The deployment also reinforced a broader lesson about today's interconnected world.
With increasing travel between countries, infectious diseases do not respect national boundaries.
"With direct flights between Fiji and Singapore, what happens in one country matters to us all," said Dr Tay Zong Min.
"Global preparedness is collective preparedness."
That idea sits at the heart of GOARN.
By connecting more than 360 institutions worldwide, the network enables countries to access technical expertise while creating opportunities for experts to strengthen their own experience through collaboration in different health system contexts.
/countries/fiji/drs-tay-zong-min--po-ying-chia-and-partha-pratim.jpg?sfvrsn=2c795081_1 "Drs Tay Zong Min, Po Ying Chia and Partha Pratim")
In today's interconnected world, global disease preparedness is essential. © WHO
The lessons that stay with you
For the three experts, the deployment strengthened dengue preparedness in the Pacific while also transforming their own understanding of preparedness and partnership.
The experience also changed how they see preparedness itself.
After returning home, Dr Partha De found himself looking differently at something as ordinary as a small pool of water collected inside an upturned leaf.
Where he once saw only rainwater, he now saw the conditions that enable dengue to spread.
"That leaf wasn't just a leaf anymore," he reflected. "It reminded me of how easily outbreaks begin and why preparedness matters."
Sometimes the most lasting impact of a deployment is not only the work left behind, but the perspective taken home.
About
The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), coordinated by the World Health Organization since 2000, strengthens global health security by advancing preparedness for and response to public health emergencies. The network brings together more than 360 institutions, including national public health agencies, technical organizations, and non-governmental partners, to support coordinated international action during outbreaks and other health emergencies.