2026-10-16 · Artemisine Editorial Team
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new five-year strategy for its Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, charting a path towards a world in which every country can detect and understand emerging health threats within 24 hours of their appearance by 2030.
The strategy was presented at the opening of the World Health Summit in Berlin. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that five years after its establishment the Hub has become an integral part of the global health security system, and that the new strategy unites governments and partners around a shared goal: responding to health threats before they turn into major crises.
Rapid detection is a cornerstone of global health security: identifying a threat early gives countries a window to contain it before it escalates or spreads internationally. The Hub was created in 2021 with foundational support from the German Government in response to gaps exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and has since worked with 160 WHO Member States, 190 partner organizations and thousands of scientists.
Under the new strategy, delivery is organized around five initiatives. Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) uses artificial intelligence to scan thousands of public sources in real time each day, drawing on over 4000 experts and used by more than 125 Member States and 30 regional and international organizations. The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) strengthens genomic sequencing and bioinformatics to accelerate development of tests, treatments and vaccines. The Collaboratory connects more than 2000 modelling and data science experts who can be mobilized when threats emerge. The Collaborative Surveillance Initiative, implemented in more than 83 countries, builds national capacity through a One Health approach. A new programme, Digital Enablers for Public Health Intelligence, will develop secure systems for sharing and analysing data.
For suppliers and procurement partners serving public health programmes in Africa and Asia, the 24-hour ambition changes how demand will arrive. Surveillance signals will increasingly reach ministries of health before formal case counts, compressing the interval between an alert and a supply response. Buyers will place more weight on accurate lead times, buffer stock and the ability to release contingency consignments at short notice. Complete, immediately reviewable documentation will matter as much as price: registration dossiers, batch traceability records and quality assurance evidence that regulators can assess quickly, since emergency procurement often runs ahead of full marketing-authorization timelines. WHO notes the strategy needs sustained investment and trusted cross-border partnerships, suggesting procurement will keep favouring pre-qualified, auditable supply channels.
Artemisine Medicines Technology supports buyers with documented quality systems, complete export dossiers and dependable logistics for priority markets in Africa and Central Asia.
Source: WHO, WHO Pandemic Hub sets ambitious goal to detect new outbreaks within 24 hours, https://www.who.int/news/item/12-10-2026-who-pandemic-hub-sets-ambitious-goal-to-detect-new-outbreaks-within-24-hours
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