• A global team of experts to design an action plan to stop the next contagion before it starts
Concerned about the risk of another pandemic after COVID-19, a global team of experts was assembled to design an action plan to stop the next contagion before it starts.
So far, governments have largely erased pandemic threats from their priority lists, despite the continued spread of animal diseases to humans.
Therefore, The Lancet and the Coalition for Pandemic Prevention at the Source announced in a statement yesterday that they were convening a commission on preventing viral spillovers.
The Lancet-Preventing Pandemics at the Source Commission on Preventing Viral Spillover said it will review and provide guidance on policies, practices, research and law to address threats of viral spillover and reduce the risk of future pandemics. The Commission is described as the most ambitious, diverse and global expert body dedicated to this under-studied and under-resourced area.
A Nigerian epidemiologist specializing in infectious diseases, Dr. Ngozi Erondu, is one of the co-chairs of the Commission.
“Most pandemic prevention efforts focus on containing an outbreak through personal protective equipment, vaccines and other measures,” said Sonila Cook, co-founder of Preventing Pandemics at the Source (PPATS) and CEO by Dalberg Catalyst.
“This Commission instead focuses on preventing epidemics in the first place, which is much more equitable and cost-effective and brings many other benefits to people and our planet. Thanks to the work of this Commission, we will be better positioned to prevent another crisis rather than simply react to it.
The work requires convergence and collaboration between many fields: health, ecology, conservation, veterinary science and indigenous traditional knowledge. The Commission’s goal is to draw global attention to the topic and produce a major report on preventing viral spillover in two to three years.
Led by three co-chairs, the Lancet-PPATS Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover is composed of 28 experts from a wide range of disciplines, including epidemiology, microbiology, ecology, human medicine, veterinary medicine, One Health, food systems management, anthropology, behavior, economic policy and working with indigenous knowledge systems. With gender and North-South balance, Commission members will maintain a constant focus on equity in developing prevention strategies.
Studies have shown that the spread of pathogens is exacerbated by livestock farming practices, hunting and wildlife trade, as well as land use changes such as deforestation. Climate change also shrinks habitats and forces animals to migrate to new places, creating opportunities for pathogens to enter new hosts.
Yet, so far, little has been done to address the daunting challenge of developing a global action plan to identify what can be done to prevent the domino effects that lead to an epidemic. regional or pandemic. The Commission will conduct original research and draw on the latest scientific data and on-the-ground examples to show how spillover prevention measures can merge with other considerations – such as food security and health care – to help to prevent pandemics.
“The fundamental origins of all the most recent outbreaks are clear: they emanate from wildlife,” said Professor Raina Plowright of Cornell University, co-chair of the Commission. “And yet, spillover prevention is a poorly understood topic and largely ignored by major institutions working in the public health field. Our Commission will improve our understanding of disease threats. We need to shine a spotlight on this problem and then come up with a strategy to solve it.
The Commission will work with input from many other experts to achieve the following objectives: assess and synthesize evidence on drivers of viral spread; identify and evaluate strategies and interventions to prevent viral spillover; provide recommendations for viral spillover research; examine the equity benefits of preventing viral spillover; assess the co-benefits and trade-offs of preventing viral spillover; identify social, economic and political challenges and opportunities for implementing viral spillover prevention; and develop recommendations for preventing viral spillovers that can be adopted and adapted by governments and other stakeholders.
“Many countries are struggling to meet the often conflicting demands of generating economic development and maintaining an affordable food supply for growing populations while safeguarding the health of rural populations,” said Dr. Latiffah Hassan, co-chair of the Commission and professor at the Faculty. of Veterinary Medicine at Universiti Putra Malaysia. “It is these communities that face the greatest risk of new pandemic threats. Like any other part of our global society, they have the right to decent health care. Preventing fallout protects everyone, everywhere.
The Commission will assess the evidence on fallout prevention strategies, including the following strategies that have been proposed:
Combat deforestation and forest degradation, particularly in tropical and subtropical forests; Improve the health of domestic animals, strengthen veterinary care and biosecurity in livestock farming;
Ensure that the risks associated with trade and consumption of wildlife – a key source of protein and income for some communities – are addressed; improve primary health care and alternative livelihoods for communities living near wildlife; and strengthen integrated surveillance of zoonotic viruses at the interface between humans, domestic animals and wildlife.
Budget estimates for effective pandemic preparedness vary, with the World Bank and World Health Organization estimating that it would cost $41.6 billion per year to build and implement an effective prevention system. In contrast, estimates of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reveal that the first year alone cost more than $2 trillion, equivalent to a 3.4% decrease in global GDP.
“Preventing pandemics is much cheaper than responding to them and will save countless lives,” said Commission Co-Chair Dr. Neil Vora.
“Surprisingly, it seems that leaders around the world are already forgetting the terrible lessons we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. We urgently need dedicated resources to prevent the spread of pathogens, such as an international funding source dedicated to protecting tropical forests. The stakes are too high for the world to implement more incomplete solutions to pandemics. We need to invest in both pandemic preventative measures and response measures.
The Commission will emphasize the scientific and cultural expertise of researchers from countries in the South, particularly in its work on inequalities.
“So many people are behaving as if the COVID-19 pandemic never happened – and in doing so, they are failing to apply the lessons of COVID-19,” said Dr. Nigel Sizer, a member of the commission and executive director of Pandemic Prevention. at the Source which co-convenes the commission with The Lancet. “This Commission will help protect everyone from pandemics by evaluating scientific data, designing interventions, and presenting policymakers with a roadmap to guide future actions. »
