WER meaning in Medical ?

The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) is a publication of the World Health Organization (WHO) that as of 2020 is in its 95th volume. It is published in English and French with the alternative title of the Relevé épidémiologique hebdomadaire. It aims to rapidly disseminate epidemiological information about outbreaks of diseases under the International Health Regulations and about communicable diseases of public health importance. This includes emerging or re-emerging diseases.

It was first published as the Relevé Hebdomadaire by a group of epidemiologists based in the Health Office of the League of Nations, in Geneva, in 1926 and later evolved to be a WHO publication. Between 1968 and 1979, it provided data on the smallpox situation in each country, allowing frontline workers to appraise their own work and compare it with others. In 1981 it began to publish data on emerging information on AIDS.

The bulk of its content relates to vaccination, epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response and treatment, in addition to reports on neglected tropical diseases such as the most common infectious cause of blindness, trachoma. It includes professional reviews of selected infectious diseases. The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) publishes its findings in the WER. It is available electronically via the WHO's website and is free of charge.