After each major disease outbreak, from SARS and Ebola to COVID-19, governments, scientists, and funders have turned their focus to pandemic preparedness and the concept of “Disease X” — an unknown pathogen that can cause a pandemic.
And yet, at any one time, there are on average dozens of disease outbreaks worldwide that could spread and trigger the next global pandemic. This year alone has seen outbreaks of the H5N1 bird flu across the U.S. in dairy cows, mpox across 16 African countries and beyond, and Marburg virus in Rwanda. These ongoing challenges demonstrate why we cannot wait for the next pandemic to strengthen our defenses.
So how can our responses to past and ongoing epidemics enhance our ability to prepare and respond to pandemic threats?
About the author
Natsuko Imai-Eaton
Natsuko Imai-Eaton is a research lead at Wellcome, overseeing the epidemics, surveillance, and pathogen genomic sequencing portfolio. With a background in infectious disease epidemiology, she previously coordinated outbreak responses at Imperial’s WHO Collaborating Centre and supported the U.K. Government Office for Science’s COVID-19 response as an external science cell adviser.
