population ; ability to evade the immune system ; routes of transmission , such as respiratory spread / contact .
As Sow ( 2022 ) noted at the WHO meeting , recent outbreaks have shared many common elements . First , it often takes time to recognize an outbreak , so in that time , the disease spreads . Second , populations are highly susceptible to new pathogens , and viruses spread easily in densely populated urbanized areas . Third , stigma and misinformation impact response to the public health crisis . Fourth , already-weakened health systems cannot respond , as healthcare staff are often the first affected . And finally , international community response is often slow and fractured .
Sow ( 2022 ) added that governments must internalize the lessons learned from previous outbreaks , including that because global responses are delayed or nationally prioritized , there is a need for on-ground institutions and personnel , trained and equipped to identify , prepare and respond to epidemics . Sow said that these institutions must build trust with communities , improving the speed and effectiveness of interventions . There also must be the building of partnerships between community-based influencers and the health systems , which is vital for halting transmission , thus supporting health service uptake . What ’ s more , fear is as damaging as any epidemic , and healthcare provision is vital during shocks to the system such as public health crises .
For the future , Sow ( 2022 ) said that preparing for the next pandemic must start now and continue uninterrupted , and that all efforts in pandemic preparedness must be coordinated and truly global . Additionally , health emergencies must not detract from other health priorities . All regions have excellence and expertise , so governments and other entities are encouraged to grow this expertise and capacity meaningfully and sustainably . There is also an urgent need to fund and facilitate research and health capacity at more regional , national and local levels . Governments are also encouraged to develop plans for sustainable funding , in that investment in health should not be considered an expenditure , Sow ( 2022 ) emphasized .
As Henao-Restrepo ( 2022 ) noted at the WHO meeting , “ Resources for disease R & D are finite and the number of potential pathogens is very large ; therefore , there is a pressing need to reduce fragmentation and make best use of the available resources . Collaboration and coordinating of resources around an agreed list of priority pathogens will continue to enable the global scientific community to better allocate finances in a cost-effective way .”
Closer to home , in late 2020 , the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ( NIAID ), part of the National Institutes of Health , established the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases
Currently , the WHO ’ s the priority diseases are : COVID-19 ; Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever ; Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease ; Lassa fever ; Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus ( MERS- CoV ) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ); Nipah and henipaviral diseases ; Rift Valley fever ; Zika ; and , of course , Disease X .”