CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)’s Post

The world needs to be better prepared to tackle a future pandemic, Kate Kelland of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, tells Radio Davos. By mapping viruses with the potential to become the next pandemic, the global health community and governments can be more responsive the next time. Global collaboration and adequate funding are needed to improve pandemic preparedness and ensure fast action to keep a viral outbreak at bay.

🔬 We're happy to announce a new partnership with CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) to tackle the urgent need for rapid diagnostic tests for two deadly viral diseases: Nipah virus and Lassa fever. Over the next four years, we'll be leading a project to identify the most reliable rapid tests, empowering healthcare workers to swiftly detect and respond to outbreaks. With up to $14.9 million in funding, we're committed to developing high-quality diagnostics that can save lives and prevent the spread of these diseases. Nipah and Lassa pose significant public health challenges, with no widely available vaccines currently in sight. But with the right diagnostic tools, we can make a difference in the fight against these threats. By ensuring equitable access to our findings, we're working to protect communities worldwide from the next pandemic. #DiagnosisForAll https://lnkd.in/epyaqG67

🔬This is another step FIND is taking to ensure we are better prepared with good quality #diagnostics to identify two critical viruses #lassa and #nipha 🔬 Access to quality, rapid diagnostic testing is the cornerstone of #globalhealthsecurity.

Emerging Pathogens: A Look Toward 2024 What will the new year bring to our shores, our cities, and our homes? The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases defines emerging infectious diseases/pathogens as those “that have newly appeared in a population or have existed but are rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range.” As the world takes a collective breath after four years of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and a global mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) emergency, the ongoing danger from emerging and reemerging pathogens remains very real. As we enter 2024, emerging pathogens and preventing outbreaks must remain top of mind. The making of modern-day pandemics Pandemics create societal disruptions, and there are five consistent, reoccurring themes—1) distrust of government and public health measures, 2) blaming others, 3) fraying of society, 4) conspiracy theories, and 5) rise of the worker. The current and ongoing pandemic is no exception—the modern world has repeated these past patterns and behaviors across its populations. "The ongoing danger from emerging and reemerging pathogens remains very real." Today, rapid international travel, ongoing geopolitical disruptions that dissolve borders and result in mass migrations, misinformation and disinformation of public health and healthcare information, climate change and natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, floods, etc.), and technological advances (e.g., artificial intelligence) all have the potential to compound the ongoing and emerging threat of many pathogens. https://lnkd.in/g9Pchdfk

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance epidemic and pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response in Africa.   This agreement, made during the 77th World Health Assembly, aims to bolster regional vaccine research, development, and manufacturing capabilities. The partnership seeks to ensure a quicker and more equitable response to emerging infectious diseases across the continent. 

The VACCELERATE Site Network, in collaboration with infectious disease experts, has undertaken the crucial task of ranking diseases listed in the WHO R&D Blueprint based on their potential to trigger a pandemic. This initiative aligns with the WHO's efforts to prevent epidemics by identifying and prioritizing infectious diseases with significant transmissibility, infectivity, severity, and evolutionary potential. By leveraging the expertise of its network and focusing on vaccine development capabilities, VACCELERATE aims to enhance preparedness for future pandemics. #PandemicPrevention #VaccineDevelopment #WHOBlueprint 🌍🔬

To achieve our immunisation targets for #HPV and #HBV, we must harness the full potential of data. Professor Pierre Van Damme, Infectious Disease and Vaccinology Expert at the University of Antwerp, explains how coordinating data collection with interoperable systems can help ⬇️ #VaccineVoices

By understanding community mixing patterns, additional insight can be gained about potential disease transmission pathways throughout a community. A recent study featuring DPHS' Dana K. Pasquale analyzed these patterns among those recently diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 in a diverse community to better understand these trends, potential epidemic spread, and vaccination efforts: https://lnkd.in/eVWBzDmF #populationhealth #publichealth #epidemic

Listen to our Director Philippe J Guerin talk about the IDDO data platform and how it enables data reuse to combat infectious diseases https://lnkd.in/de7Ha878  

Beyond #COVID-19, did you know #four coronaviruses quietly circulate, causing our 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬? 🤧 Identified as 229𝐄, 𝐍𝐋63, 𝐎𝐂43, and 𝐇𝐊𝐔1, these coronaviruses play a significant role in the recurring winter infections, collectively responsible for up to 30% of common cold cases annually. However, there's a possibility that in the past, they might have been responsible for more severe illnesses.🌐🌡️ I'm personally intrigued by the complex dynamics of coronaviruses, discovering their complex role in our health narrative. The potential connection between OC43 and the 1889 "𝑹𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒛𝒂" adds a fascinating historical dimension to this viral saga. 🧬 What intrigues me most is the glimpse these common cold viruses provide into the potential future #trajectory of SARS-CoV-2. Could we be witnessing an evolutionary parallel to its 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬? 🦠🔬 #ViralGenomics #CoronavirusEvolution #Immunology #Sarscov2