Global epidemics: how well can we cope?

Leigh, Jennifer; Fitzgerald, Gabrielle; Garcia, Elvis; Moon, Suerie

doi:10.1136/bmj.k3254

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…It infected more than 28,000 people and killed 11,300. The devastated political, economic and health care systems compounded with security challenges of these countries reduced their outbreak surveillance and control capacities [ 90 ].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can we learn from previous pandemics to reduce the frequency of emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19?

2020

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The global risks report of 2020 stated, climate-related issues dominate all of the top-five long-term critical global risks burning the planet and according to the report, “as existing health risks resurge and new ones emerge, humanity's past successes in overcoming health challenges are no guarantee of future results.” Over the last few decades, the world has experienced several pandemic outbreaks of various pathogens and the frequency of the emergence of novel strains of infectious organisms has increased in recent decades. As per expert opinion, rapidly mutating viruses, emergence and re-emergence of epidemics with increasing frequencies, climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases are likely to be increasing over the years and the trends will continue and intensify. Susceptible disease hosts, anthropogenic activities and environmental changes contribute and trigger the ‘adaptive evolution’ of infectious agents to thrive and spread into different ecological niches and to adapt to new hosts. The overarching objective of this paper is to provide insight into the human actions which should be strictly regulated to help to sustain life on earth. To identify and categorize the triggering factors that contribute to disease ecology, especially repeated emergence of disease pandemics, a theory building approach, ‘Total Interpretive Structural Modeling’ (TISM) was used; also the tool, ‘Impact Matrix Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification’ analysis (MICMAC) was applied to rank the risk factors based on their impacts on other factors and on the interdependence among them. This mathematical modeling tool clearly explains the strength, position and interconnectedness of each anthropogenic factor that contributes to the evolution of pathogens and to the frequent emergence of pandemics which needs to be addressed with immediate priority. As we are least prepared for another pandemic outbreak, significant policy attention must be focused on the causative factors to limit emerging outbreaks like COVID 19 in the future.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can we learn from previous pandemics to reduce the frequency of emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19?

2020

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“…The current debate between the USA and WHO about the sharing of COVID-19 information by China suggests that additional indicators might be needed as part of IHR assessments. 16 17 …”

Section: Strengthening National Accountability For Preparednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using critical information to strengthen pandemic preparedness: the role of national public health agencies

Khan¹,

Dar

Erondu

et al. 2020

BMJ Glob Health

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COVID-19 has demonstrated that most countries’ public health systems and capacities are insufficiently prepared to prevent a localised infectious disease outbreak from spreading. Strengthening national preparedness requires National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs), or their equivalent, to overcome practical challenges affecting timely access to, and use of, data that is critical to preparedness. Our situational analysis in collaboration with NPHIs in three countries—Ethiopia, Nigeria and Pakistan—characterises these challenges. Our findings indicate that NPHIs’ role necessitates collection and analysis of data from multiple sources that do not routinely share data with public health authorities. Since initiating requests for access to new data sources can be a lengthy process, it is essential that NPHIs are routinely monitoring a broad set of priority indicators that are selected to reflect the country-specific context. NPHIs must also have the authority to be able to request rapid sharing of data from public and private sector organisations during health emergencies and to access additional human and financial resources during disease outbreaks. Finally, timely, transparent and informative communication of synthesised data from NPHIs will facilitate sustained data sharing with NPHIs from external organisations. These actions identified by our analysis will support the availability of robust information systems that allow relevant data to be collected, shared and analysed by NPHIs sufficiently rapidly to inform a timely local response to infectious disease outbreaks in the future.

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“…R&D investments are poorly aligned with the priority needs in LICs and MICs 21. A recent study of randomised controlled trials globally found that in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, there was substantial mismatch between the number of research studies conducted by disease and the burden of disease in each country 22.…”

Section: Key Coordination Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving resource mobilisation for global health R&D: a role for coordination platforms?

et al. 2019

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Achieving many of the health targets in the Sustainable Development Goals will not be possible without increased financing for global health research and development (R&D). Yet financing for neglected disease product development fell from 2009-2015, with the exception of a one-time injection of Ebola funding. An important cause of the global health R&D funding gap is lack of coordination across R&D initiatives. In particular, existing initiatives lack robust priority-setting processes and transparency about investment decisions. Low-income countries (LICs) and middle-income countries (MICs) are also often excluded from global investment initiatives and priority-setting discussions, leading to limited investment by these countries. An overarching global health R&D coordination platform is one promising response to these challenges. This analysis examines the essential functions such a platform must play, how it should be structured to maximise effectiveness and investment strategies for diversifying potential investors, with an emphasis on building LIC and MIC engagement. Our analysis suggests that a coordination platform should have four key functions: building consensus on R&D priorities; facilitating information sharing about past and future investments; building in accountability mechanisms to track R&D spending against investment targets and curating a portfolio of prioritised projects alongside mechanisms to link funders to these projects. Several design features are likely to increase the platform’s success: public ownership and management; separation of coordination and financing functions; inclusion of multiple diseases; coordination across global and national efforts; development of an international R&D ‘roadmap’ and a strategy for the financial sustainability of the platform’s secretariat.

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Global epidemics: how well can we cope?

Abstract: Although numerous initiatives have been launched to improve global capacity to respond to major outbreaks of disease, worrying gaps remain, report Jennifer Leigh and colleagues

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

What can we learn from previous pandemics to reduce the frequency of emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19?

What can we learn from previous pandemics to reduce the frequency of emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19?

Using critical information to strengthen pandemic preparedness: the role of national public health agencies

Improving resource mobilisation for global health R&D: a role for coordination platforms?

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