The World Health Organisation (WHO) has unveiled plans for a new global hub in a bid to get on top of the next pandemic more quickly.

Backed by Germany, the new arm of the WHO aims to use more sophisticated surveillance systems to identify pandemic threats before they escalate, as well as responding more quickly and effectively to outbreaks.

The WHO has faced criticism almost since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic for its response, most notably regarding its relationship with China, where Sars-CoV-2 was first identified.

The new Berlin-based hub will build on existing tools to act more quickly, WHO said - but emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan acknowledged that member states would "set the rules of the game" on transparency and accountability.

WHO is largely funded by its member states, and does not have powers to enforce its advice or investigate countries' responses.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "The current Covid-19 pandemic has taught us we can only fight pandemics and epidemics together. The new WHO hub will be a global platform for pandemic prevention, bringing together various governmental, academic and private sector institutions."

The hub aims to improve on the existing surveillance networks, which did spot the novel coronavirus emerging in Wuhan last year. However, it will also link up data and experts to develop new tools and predictive models of risk, including using artificial intelligence to pinpoint threats that may emerge. The hub will also be used to monitor disease control measures, community acceptance and infodemics as the outbreaks unfold, the WHO said.

"Our problem and our challenge is that when these epidemics occur, there are signals that may occur before the epidemic happens," said Dr Ryan. He said data on the interface between humans and animals, climate and mobility could all give insights on "high risks and high vulnerabilities" to identify "pre-signals" early on. 

German health minister Jens Spahn said it was a "concrete" initiative, adding: "We need to strengthen the global early warning surveillance system with improved collection of health-related data and inter-disciplinary risk analysis."

The hub aims to also tackle inequalities in data collection as well as access to the data and analytical tools, to ensure there are no global information blackspots, the team said.

Dr Ryan said that ideally the hub would not only improve data access on a technical level but also build trust and help countries share their insights in order to "generate the insights we need before, during and after pandemics."

However, he added: "Ultimately, it is for the member states of WHO to decide on what the rules of the game are regarding transparency and accountability."

A WHO-led mission to China to find out more about the origins of the pandemic has become a political football, with some complaining that the probe was not rigorous enough and China demanding other countries are also investigated.

graphical user interface, diagram: Preventing the next pandemic© Provided by The Telegraph Preventing the next pandemic
The budget of the new pandemic platform was not revealed, although Germany has pledged €30 million (£26m) annually for its development. Staffing levels are also being discussed, the team said, although visiting fellowships will be important to bring in global expertise.

Dr Mike Ryan said the aim was real change in how WHO operates.

"The vision is not to create another big bureaucratic WHO institution... This is about transforming the way this organisation engages with the world," he said.

He said it was a "bigger idea" than just detecting outbreaks, ultimately aiming to inform governments about the best way to respond to pandemics.

This could be key in ending outbreaks more quickly without risking the "two-tiered world" that is currently emerging, as richer nations gallop towards vaccinating their entire adult populations against Covid-19 while some poorer countries face their darkest days yet. 


Src: The Times

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WHO and Germany set up global hub in bid to better fight next pandemic

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has unveiled plans for a new global hub in a bid to get on top of the next pandemic more quickly.

Backed by Germany, the new arm of the WHO aims to use more sophisticated surveillance systems to identify pandemic threats before they escalate, as well as responding more quickly and effectively to outbreaks.

The WHO has faced criticism almost since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic for its response, most notably regarding its relationship with China, where Sars-CoV-2 was first identified.

The new Berlin-based hub will build on existing tools to act more quickly, WHO said - but emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan acknowledged that member states would "set the rules of the game" on transparency and accountability.

WHO is largely funded by its member states, and does not have powers to enforce its advice or investigate countries' responses.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "The current Covid-19 pandemic has taught us we can only fight pandemics and epidemics together. The new WHO hub will be a global platform for pandemic prevention, bringing together various governmental, academic and private sector institutions."

The hub aims to improve on the existing surveillance networks, which did spot the novel coronavirus emerging in Wuhan last year. However, it will also link up data and experts to develop new tools and predictive models of risk, including using artificial intelligence to pinpoint threats that may emerge. The hub will also be used to monitor disease control measures, community acceptance and infodemics as the outbreaks unfold, the WHO said.

"Our problem and our challenge is that when these epidemics occur, there are signals that may occur before the epidemic happens," said Dr Ryan. He said data on the interface between humans and animals, climate and mobility could all give insights on "high risks and high vulnerabilities" to identify "pre-signals" early on.

German health minister Jens Spahn said it was a "concrete" initiative, adding: "We need to strengthen the global early warning surveillance system with improved collection of health-related data and inter-disciplinary risk analysis."

The hub aims to also tackle inequalities in data collection as well as access to the data and analytical tools, to ensure there are no global information blackspots, the team said.

Dr Ryan said that ideally the hub would not only improve data access on a technical level but also build trust and help countries share their insights in order to "generate the insights we need before, during and after pandemics."

However, he added: "Ultimately, it is for the member states of WHO to decide on what the rules of the game are regarding transparency and accountability."

A WHO-led mission to China to find out more about the origins of the pandemic has become a political football, with some complaining that the probe was not rigorous enough and China demanding other countries are also investigated.

graphical user interface, diagram: Preventing the next pandemic© Provided by The Telegraph Preventing the next pandemic
The budget of the new pandemic platform was not revealed, although Germany has pledged €30 million (£26m) annually for its development. Staffing levels are also being discussed, the team said, although visiting fellowships will be important to bring in global expertise.

Dr Mike Ryan said the aim was real change in how WHO operates.

"The vision is not to create another big bureaucratic WHO institution... This is about transforming the way this organisation engages with the world," he said.

He said it was a "bigger idea" than just detecting outbreaks, ultimately aiming to inform governments about the best way to respond to pandemics.

This could be key in ending outbreaks more quickly without risking the "two-tiered world" that is currently emerging, as richer nations gallop towards vaccinating their entire adult populations against Covid-19 while some poorer countries face their darkest days yet.


Src: The Times

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