The World Health Organisation (WHO) has unveiled a five-year strategy to help countries detect and assess emerging health threats within 24 hours by 2030.
Announced on Monday, October 12, at the opening of the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, the initiative seeks to strengthen global disease surveillance and prevent outbreaks from escalating into epidemics or pandemics.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the organisation’s Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, established in 2021, had become a key component of global health security.
He said the strategy would provide a common framework for governments and partners to identify and respond to emerging health threats before they develop into major crises.
According to WHO, the Hub has collaborated with 160 member states and 190 partner organisations to identify epidemic threats, sequence pathogens and support rapid public health responses.
The strategy outlines five key initiatives, including deploying artificial intelligence to scan thousands of publicly available sources for potential health threats, strengthening genomic surveillance and deepening collaboration among data scientists and disease-modelling experts.
Other priorities include expanding disease monitoring through a One Health approach and developing secure digital platforms for improved public health data sharing and analysis.
WHO says meeting the 2030 target will require sustained funding, stronger partnerships and cooperation across countries and sectors.
The organisation added that improved surveillance and early-warning systems would enable faster responses to emerging health threats and reduce the risk of outbreaks spreading across borders.
