01-07-2025
Breaking the chain: strengthening Europe's preparedness for disease outbreaks
Preventing future pandemics means preparing for both known and unknown viral disease threats. Since it was added to the WHO R&D Blueprint list of diseases in 2018, 'Disease X' has become the 'bogeyman' for scientists and health professionals across the globe.
Disease X refers to an unexpected and unknown outbreak of a contagious or infectious disease that could cause a pandemic similar in scale to COVID-19. As an elusive pathogen, we don't know if we can prevent the occurrence of Disease X, but we do know that from SARS to MERS, swine flu, Ebola, and avian influenza, animal-borne diseases have been the source of every major pandemic in the past century.
As a zoonotic disease is likely the prime candidate for the next pandemic, work should begin with a better understanding of the risks of emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases. Whilst the recently published WHO Pandemic Agreement calls on governments to take measures to identify and address drivers of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface, with the aim of early prevention of pandemics, the EU Preparedness Union Strategy makes no mention of animal health or zoonotic disease threats. The concrete role of the animal health sector in the EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) is also not yet clearly defined.
'One Health' — integrating human, animal and environmental health — is of course mentioned by both the WHO and HERA, but investment in the prevention of animal-borne diseases, or zoonoses, as well as veterinary science and animal health more generally, is all too often overlooked in preparedness planning.
A 2022 World Bank report estimated that investing US$10–11 billion annually in One Health prevention - including US$2.1 billion per year to bring public veterinary services up to international standards, and US$5 billion to improve farm biosecurity - could prevent pandemics that would carry vastly higher costs to manage and control. If we take the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook (IMF 2022) projected the cumulative output loss from the pandemic through 2024 to be about US$13.8 trillion.
COVID-19's enduring devastation serves as a stark reminder of a critical and persistent risk: the systemic neglect of animal health systems.
So, if we are serious about taking the necessary measures to prevent the next pandemic, we must learn from past failures and act both accordingly and decisively. This starts with better prioritising animal health for the benefits it can bring as our frontline of defence protecting against future pandemics.
In today's interconnected world, a health risk in one location, in one species, is a risk for all due to globalised markets and travel, and the ability of pathogens to spread through various means, including direct contact, indirect contact, airborne transmission, and via vectors like insects. To bolster global health security, it is imperative to incorporate binding infrastructure and workforce provisions, including veterinary capacity and flexible regulation for rapid response to disease outbreaks, into preparedness planning.
With over three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases coming from zoonotic pathogens, it is clear that we must enhance existing animal disease surveillance systems so they can identify potential threats to animal and human health in good time. We also need to increase the number of qualified vets and veterinary paraprofessionals and support animal owners' access to veterinary services. And with one in five farm animals lost due to disease each year, access to safe and effective vaccines and medicines for animals, as well ability to use these must be assured.
With Europe facing numerous outbreaks of animal diseases such as bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, and bluetongue virus, there is a clear need to implement disease prevention programmes, endorse the use of preventive measures such as vaccines and parasite control, and enhance basic animal health care. Although bluetongue and FMD are not zoonotic, bird flu is. Fortunately the risk of human infection remains low, but it has been reported in dairy cattle in the US.
Without wishing to be alarmist, the EU and international governments need to realise that the more animals are affected by a disease, the greater the possibility for the virus to jump from mammal to mammal, and potentially also to people. Enhancing efforts in the field of animal disease prevention would not only reduce the huge socio-economic costs associated with a more reactive approach to disease outbreaks in animals, but they could also drastically reduce the potential One Health risks.
Investing in animal health is non-negotiable. It's one of the most effective, proactive and lucrative investment strategies for enhanced preparedness we can take to stop emerging diseases before they ever endanger people and their livelihoods.
