New five-year plan for Pandemic Intelligence Hub seeks to catch health threats before they become epidemics
By Bunmi Yekini
The World Health Organization on Monday unveiled a five-year strategy to ensure that, by 2030, every country can spot and understand a new health threat within 24 hours of its appearance.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the plan at the opening of the World Health Summit in Berlin. Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health, Georg Kippels, was present.
The strategy is for the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, which was set up in 2021 with foundational support from the German government after COVID-19 exposed serious gaps in global disease detection.
Tedros said the Hub had become “an integral part of the global health security system” in its first five years. He said the new plan would unite governments and partners around a shared goal: helping every country respond to threats before they become major crises.
WHO said catching outbreaks early is central to global health security, because it helps countries contain them before they grow into epidemics or cross borders.
Since its creation, the Hub has worked with 160 WHO member states, 190 partner organisations, and thousands of scientists and policymakers to detect new threats, identify pathogens and support quick action.
FIVE PRIORITIES
Over the next five years, the Hub will focus on five initiatives:
- Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS): Uses artificial intelligence to scan thousands of public sources daily for signs of health threats. It links more than 4,000 experts and is used by over 125 member states and 30 regional and international organisations.
- International Pathogen Surveillance Network: Builds countries’ capacity in genomic sequencing and bioinformatics to identify new pathogens, which helps speed up the development of tests, treatments and vaccines.
- The Collaboratory: Connects more than 2,000 experts in modelling and data science who can be mobilised quickly when new threats emerge.
- Collaborative Surveillance Initiative: Backs national institutions, systems and workforces in more than 83 countries to detect threats using a One Health approach.
- Digital Enablers for Public Health Intelligence: A new programme to develop secure digital systems that let countries and partners share and analyse data, while supporting responsible use of AI.
WHO said the Hub is a critical pillar of its Health Emergencies Programme, acting as a convener of partners, a catalyst for innovation and a mobilizer of expertise and resources.
It cautioned that meeting the 2030 goal will require sustained investment, trusted partnerships and stronger cooperation across sectors, disciplines and borders.