17 epidemics in 2024 will show that the world is becoming increasingly vulnerable to pandemics

The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), a body of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, presented a report during the 15th World Health Summit in Berlin warning of the growing risk of pandemics around the world. To date, 17 outbreaks of dangerous diseases have already been recorded in 2024, including Marburg virus, monkeypox, H5N1 avian influenza and others such as SARS, MERS, Ebola, yellow fever, cholera, Zika and COVID-19. The report, entitled The Changing Face of Pandemic Risk, highlights that human-animal interactions, intensive agriculture and biosecurity threats are key factors in increasing these risks.

Radical reset

The report highlights the urgency of understanding global vulnerability to threats and calls for a radical reset of the collective approach to pandemic preparedness. The document describes 15 key pandemic risk factors, divided into five categories: social, technological, environmental, economic and political elements, and emphasizes that the interactions between human, animal and environmental health require a coordinated global response with One health. According to the GPMB, it is important to recognize global vulnerability to future pandemics and take urgent action to improve preparedness.

The 15 key risk factors include mistrust between countries, growing inequality, agricultural intensification and the rise of zoonoses, or diseases transmitted from animals to humans. Added to this are new threats such as mass digitization, which facilitates the rapid spread of information but also makes healthcare systems vulnerable to cyberattacks and the spread of misinformation.

Towards comprehensive and sustainable training

“The next pandemic will not wait until our systems are fully prepared,” said Joy Pumafi, GPMB co-chair and former Botswana health minister, highlighting the need to invest in sustainable and equitable primary health care systems. capable of meeting future challenges. The report also notes that while the causes of pandemics are complex and interconnected, a collective and flexible response accompanied by investment in international cooperation can significantly reduce risks.

For her part, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, co-chair of the GPMB and former President of Croatia, emphasized the importance of acting now: “We have a narrow window of opportunity to rethink global preparedness. We must assess risks beyond healthcare. industries and actively adapt them to each context.”

Strategies for a safer future

The approach proposed by the GPMB promotes a strategy based on the One Health concept, which recognizes the interdependence between human, animal and environmental health. Experts are calling for greater collaboration between these sectors, emphasizing that fragmented solutions will not be enough to mitigate the threats of the pandemic. To do this, they recommend periodically reviewing prevention and response plans to ensure they are flexible enough to adapt to different situations, since the next pandemic will not follow the same pattern as COVID-19.

Resilience to future health emergencies will depend on investment in research and development, strengthening health infrastructure, and progress in understanding pandemic risk factors. In an increasingly interconnected world, the international community must take collective responsibility for disease prevention and response, recognizing that pandemic preparedness is a global challenge, not just a national or sectoral one.

The changing face of pandemic risk