Since the launch of the Preparedness and Resilience to Emerging Threats (PRET) initiative and its global Call to Action in April 2023, the WHO Regional Office for Europe (the Regional Office) has intensified its support to Member States to strengthen pandemic preparedness including revising pandemic plans. The PRET initiative encourages Member States to apply a mode of transmission approach to preparedness by leveraging routine systems and capacities to respond to pathogens with a similar mode of transmission.
These efforts are a continuation of the support provided by WHO to selected Member States since 2014 under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework Partnership Contribution (PC), with a specific focus on improving national pandemic influenza preparedness capacities. In recent years, pandemic planning efforts have encompassed preparedness for respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential, while still focusing on influenza given the constant pandemic threat it poses.
Member State application of the PRET approach
Through online and face-to-face meetings in 2023, 43 countries and territories from the WHO European Region were introduced to the PRET initiative and were encouraged to begin the process of revising pandemic plans and strengthening pandemic preparedness based on COVID-19 lessons. During the meetings, Member State experts reflected on the main challenges and gains during the COVID-19 pandemic and on how best to leverage these experiences for a future pandemic. Most countries indicated an intention to apply the PRET approach to pandemic planning with continued multisectoral engagement. At the same time, the necessity of aligning pandemic planning with other health emergency preparedness and national health security planning was recognized as a priority by Member States to leverage existing structures and systems for health emergency preparedness and response.
A few countries and territories have accelerated the process of updating pandemic plans, by convening multisectoral pandemic planning committees and organizing national kick-off workshops facilitated by WHO. These national events focused on reviewing and addressing the main national lessons from COVID-19. Furthermore, existing emergency preparedness plans, IHR (2005) monitoring and evaluation results and national action plans for health security were used to identify priority needs in terms of capacity building. They also provided an opportunity to agree on the process, roles and responsibilities, and timeline for updating the national pandemic plan.
Country plans and next steps
To date, two countries and territories (North Macedonia and Kosovo*) have developed a respiratory pathogen pandemic plan based on the PRET approach, with others in the region planning national kick-off events in 2024. These would bring together all relevant stakeholders to revise and/or test pandemic plans through simulation exercises, and strengthen associated capacities to be better prepared for the next pandemic. Looking ahead, the Regional Office will work collaboratively with countries to tailor the support provided to update pandemic plans, ensuring a more effective approach to strengthening regional and national pandemic preparedness capacities.
*All references to Kosovo should be understood to be in the context of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
Photo credit: WHO/EURO