An international hub for pandemic control is to open in Berlin to ensure better preparedness and transparency in the fight against likely future global health threats, the UN health agency announced on Wednesday. Supported by the German Government, the centre will specialize in gathering epidemic intelligence, data, surveillance and analytics innovation. It will open later this year, according to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who explained how she had first discussed the idea last autumn, with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Echoing the need for greater cooperation and information-sharing between countries to complement existing international health regulations, Tedros underscored the likely recurrence of new global health threats: ”The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed gaps in the global systems for pandemic and epidemic intelligence. And it’s a fact of nature that there will more viruses that will emerge with the potential of sparking epidemics or pandemics. Viruses move fast, but data can move even faster.”
Although ”viruses move fast… data can move even faster”, the WHO chief insisted, adding that ”with the right information, countries and communities can stay one step ahead of an emerging risk and save lives. Modern technologies give us unprecedented tools for collecting, analysing and disseminating data in real time around the world. That’s what the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence aims to do.” A super-computer will help the new centre to ”predict, prevent, detect prepare for and respond to pandemic and epidemic risks worldwide”, according to WHO. Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director, Dr. Michael Ryan. highlighted the importance of taking immediate action and sharing information when tackling future public health threats:
German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn, noted that the WHO Hub would act as a ”global early warning surveillance system”. It will support the work of public health experts and policymakers in all countries, to help them respond rapidly to future public health emergencies, he added. ”Globally we all need to work together to be better prepared for the next pandemic and the second is that we must strengthen WHO’s leading and coordinating role, particularly in pandemic preparedness.”
Source: The UN
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