Measures can be taken to reduce causes of new infectious diseases and prevent outbreaks and epidemics from becoming pandemics.

Featured Article, Resource and Presentation ↓ | Policy Focus ↓ | Global Initiatives ↓

Featured article; What does pandemic prevention cost? The costs and benefits of primary prevention of zoonotic pandemics. The authors estimated the costs of emerging viral zoonoses and explored potential practical actions to minimize the impact of future epidemics – “better surveillance of pathogen spillover and development of global databases of virus genomics and serology, better management of wildlife trade, and substantial reduction of deforestation.” They estimated that these actions “cost less than 1/20th the value of lives lost each year to emerging viral zoonoses and have substantial co-benefits.”

Featured resource; SpillOver — Global Virome Project This is a comprehensive, open-source tool allows for the ranking of newly discovered animal viruses for the first-time. SpillOver is intended to serve policy makers, public health experts and scientists (who can add their own data) in identifying pathogens of greatest concern both locally and globally. More details are provided here: Ranking the risk of animal-to-human spillover for newly discovered viruses | PNAS 

Featured presentation; Dr Tedros' address at the CEPI Summit LIVE: Dr Tedros' address at the CEPI Summit. #100DaysMission - YouTube

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Policy Focus; World Health Assembly agrees to launch process to develop historic global accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The aim of this is to “draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.” 

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Global organizations and initiatives; 

  • Better health moves humanity forward | PATH- a global team of innovators working to accelerate health equity so all people and communities can thrive. We advise and partner with public institutions, businesses, grassroots groups, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing health challenges. 

  • Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance helps vaccinate almost half the world’s children against deadly and debilitating infectious diseases. Gavi’s impact draws on the strengths of its core partners, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and plays a critical role in strengthening primary health care (PHC), bringing us closer to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), ensuring that no one is left behind. 

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