Global novel disease surveillance: Majority of countries lack preparedness

In a recent study posted to the Preprints with The Lancet / SSRN´s First Look* preprint server, researchers explored national surveillance for new diseases in different countries. Novel pathogen-induced pandemics have severe worldwide consequences. The International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) mandate that countries document outbreaks of unknown causes since early detection is crucial. However, the scope of new disease surveillance on a global scale remains uncertain. Baseline information facilitates novel global preparedness initiatives such as the Pandemic Treaty. In the present study, researchers identified the number of nations considering emerging diseases in their public health infrastructure. The study included 195 out of 196 countries that were a part of the IHR(2005). Data were collected from July to December 2022. In January 2023, the dataset was updated by re-examining all sources for any new publications. The definition of novel disease consideration involves written material at the national level on new diseases, which can be...