QUANTITATIVE INDICATORS FOR RISK OF ZOONOTIC DISEASE EMERGENCE
On June 20, 2024, the World Health Organisation (WHO) organized an EPI-WIN Webinar to present the results of the WHO-PREZODE joint working group, established in 2022, on developing quantitative indicators for the risk of zoonotic disease emergence.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Interim Director of the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness, opened the webinar with an overview of preventing zoonotic diseases at early stages through a One Health approach. She highlighted that the WHO-PREZODE effort represents a significant step towards improving global prevention and preparedness against future pandemics.
Dr. Benjamin Roche, PREZODE Global Science Leader and co-founder, explained the methodology developed during this working group and presented the indicators, that aim to assess the likelihood of zoonotic exposure in human populations. These indicators focus on the circulation of zoonotic pathogens in animals and human-animal contact, to facilitate characterizing the impact of prevention strategies against future pandemics of zoonoses and, therefore, strengthen their implementation.
Following his presentation, a panel discussion was held to explore how the WHO-PREZODE indicators can support the implementation of prevention strategies against zoonotic emergence.