Leaders from across the world working on various aspects of health emergency preparedness and response gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the second Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit, convened by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). This year, the summit was co-hosted by the Ministry of Health (Brazil), and Fiocruz, one of the oldest public health institutions in the world, and Nigeria Health Watch were invited to attend.
The summit featured a few keynote speeches, plenary panels, and several focused in-depth discussions on new advances, country experiences, and perspectives from institutions involved in research and operations on medical countermeasures. Convenings like these are important because they focus attention on the key issues relating to the convergent areas of epidemic preparedness and response.
Global shifts and persistent challenges
Many of the discussions recognised that with the decline in COVID-19 cases, the attention of numerous governments has pivoted to other pressing issues such as climate change, economic instability, isolationism, and the displacement of populations, often triggered by conflicts. These multiple converging risks and vulnerabilities heighten the likelihood of new epidemics. These challenges are deeply interconnected, with one driving the other in our interconnected world.
Diseases are not only amplified by our global connectivity, which exposes us to heightened health risks but also provides opportunities for collaborative solutions. The summit's messaging emphasised the need for sustained attention on preparedness for future outbreaks, even as we address current challenges. All is not "doom on gloom" in our state of preparedness. This year's summit focused on three main themes: assessing the global progress on the 100 Days Mission, ensuring equitable access to vaccines and other medical countermeasures, and enhancing global disease surveillance capabilities.
Discussions also highlighted the waning urgency of issues that dominated the global stage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. National health systems globally were tested by the pandemic, revealing major vulnerabilities. It was therefore anticipated that a robust and unified response to address these issues would be self-evident, but unfortunately, this has not been the case. However, there are a few notable achievements, such as advancements in vaccine development. Within less than a year, a COVID-19 vaccine was developed and approved for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), building on decades of prior research.
Keeping the 100 days mission in sight
CEPI and its partners firmly believe that the global community can do even better. Together with numerous partners, they are working together on an ambitious initiative known as "The 100 Days Mission". This initiative aims to shorten the timeline from the identification of a pathogen with pandemic potential, to the deployment of a vaccine, in just one hundred days.
A modelling study conducted by the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College found that approximately 9.88 million additional COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented through the 100 Days Mission. Let that sink in.
During her keynote address, Prof. Jane Halton, Chair of the CEPI Board, mentioned that a recent impact assessment of the 100 Days Mission, which CEPI had been working on in collaboration with Imperial College, modelled what the 100 Days Mission could have accomplished in deaths averted if the international community had achieved the 100 Days Mission for vaccines. The results of this assessment are poised for publication. This goal has caught the attention of scientists and institutions around the world, as they bring together the research they are doing, striving to enhance the efficiency and delivery of healthcare solutions. The 100 Days Mission isn't just about speed; it's a concerted effort to transform how we respond to future pandemics, improving outcomes on a global scale.
In addition to advances in vaccine manufacturing, the success of the 100 Days Mission hinges critically on strengthening global alliances, collaboration and building trust. The early detection of pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential is crucial, requiring robust surveillance systems. Without such systems in place, progress will be slow.
Advancing global health surveillance and innovation
Chikwe Ihekweazu, Assistant Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Director of WHO's Pandemic Hub, emphasised this pivotal moment for global health surveillance. He called it the "coming out moment for surveillance," highlighting the urgent need for integrated data streams to foster informed decision-making. The basis of an effective global surveillance system lies is trust, sharing data and information freely, without fear of repercussions. Countries must be confident that by collaborating and sharing of data, they would have equitable access to all developed countermeasures. This has been one of the sticking points in the current negotiations for the Pandemic Treaty. This solidary in data sharing is not just beneficial, but essential for global health security.
There were also a few important announcements at the summit. One was the development of a new approach to harmonise research into pathogen families. Presented by Dr Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo, Lead R& D Blueprint for Epidemics, WHO, this new approach groups similar viruses into "viral families", and so coordinates the study of related viruses. Fiocruz, a co-host of the summit committed to support the further development of this approach which is set to replace WHO's list of priority pathogens. The aim of grouping viruses into families is to streamline research and development, accelerating the development of medical countermeasures for the viruses identified within each family, and ensuring that breakthroughs in one area can benefit multiple viruses.
This new approach will enable the adaption of our responses based on the specific viral family, which could significantly influence vaccine delivery timelines. For instance, leveraging existing regulatory systems for one influenza type served as a model for other families. Responding at the summit to a question about how close we are to the 100 Days Mission, Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO, CEPI stated "It depends across the families, and I think that's why the viral families' work is so critically important."
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Researchers from the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID) at Boston University also announced a new system called the Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON), a cutting-edge system designed to enhance global health security. BEACON merges artificial intelligence with expert analysis to track and predict the emergence of new pathogens worldwide. This tool will aim to streamline the flow of critical information to institutions, empowering them to make informed decisions swiftly.
Contributions of Nigerian scientists
All in all, it was an important summit that presented advancements in global health initiatives. Highlighting the contributions of Nigerian scientists, Dr. Simon Agwale discussed challenges in vaccine manufacturing supply chains, while Dr. Emmanuel Agogo discussed FIND's efforts in bridging diagnostic gaps and he shared details of the Pathogen Diagnostic Readiness Index (PDxRI), a new tool that assesses diagnostic readiness to pathogens of public health concern. Other key participants included Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa and Prof. Alash'le Abimiku , among others. The event also featured a delegation from the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), demonstrating their strong partnership with CEPI. This reflects the commitment to driving research and development, with the potential to advance clinical trials and vaccine development across Africa.
