Marking the 1918 influenza pandemic centennial: addressing regional influenza threats through the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies

Abstract

The Western Pacific Region (WPR) is home to nearly 1.9 billion people. Over the past decades, the Region has experienced a number of significant emerging infectious disease events, including human infections with avian influenza viruses. Health security threats continue and become even more complex in this highly interconnected world. With humans and animals living in close proximity, the Western Pacific region provides an ideal environment for influenza viruses to pass from animals to humans, potentially mutate and spread globally in a rapid manner. In efforts to prevent or mitigate the next pandemic, WPR has been working together to ensure a strong regional human-animal-environmental influenza surveillance system is in place for rapid detection, identification, reporting and response to any events with pandemic potential.

WPSAR after 14 volumes: achievements and future directions

“…Over the past 14 years, WPSAR has consistently published four quarterly issues per year, plus special editions on timely topics. These special editions have covered the response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (2015), ( 2 ) the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic (2018), ( 3 ) COVID-19 clinical management and health-care pathways (2023) ( 4 ) and the establishment of emergency medical teams in the Pacific (2023). ( 5 ) Additionally, while COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO (January 2020 to May 2023), ( 6 ) each quarterly issue featured a section dedicated to COVID-19 articles.…”