Outbreaks of infectious diseases have always
taken place, the plague in the Middle Ages,
cholera in the 19th century, and the influenza epidemics
in the 20th century.
We can't stop outbreaks happening.
But we can better prepare to reduce their impact.
Large-scale disease outbreaks, such as diphtheria
in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh,
and recurrent epidemics such as cholera and Lassa fever,
highlight the need for robust local and, if necessary,
international preparedness and rapid responses to save lives.
When an outbreak is undetected, and a response is not
triggered rapidly and effectively,
the human cost can be high, as we saw in West Africa
with Ebola.
A preparedness plan enables individuals, communities,
emergency response organisations,
and governments to better anticipate and respond
to outbreaks.
They need to be in place at community, sector-cluster,
national, regional, and international levels.
Linked to the country's overall preparedness plan at community
level, a preparedness plan informs people how to respond
to protect themselves, their family, and their neighbours.
Sector or cluster-level plans defined
how actors work together to achieve
sector-specific outbreak prevention and response
actions.
In the water, sanitation, and hygiene cluster, for example,
different organisations may take responsibility for flash
chlorination of wells, while the nutrition cluster might plan
to maintain a supply of food supplements for vulnerable
groups.
Country-level preparedness aims to catalyse and coordinate
outbreak prevention and response efforts.
Forming a country plan across sectors, including
case management, nutrition, wash, communications,
and logistics ensures coordination
and reduces duplication during an active outbreak.
Globally, there are institutions and organisations involved
in preparedness.
Through global working groups and networks,
these organisations develop tools,
such as standardised guidelines, special clinical treatment,
and logistic kits.
So what triggers an outbreak alert and response?
A country's health authorities set disease-specific thresholds
based on international guidance, which
trigger an outbreak alert.
Alerts are set depending on what's
normal for that location, and the risk of transmission.
In Nola's town, the recent outbreak of cholera.
When Nola arrived at the cholera treatment unit
with her two-year-old son, Jarno,
he was showing all the signs of severe dehydration.
Thanks to the fast response and care
he received, he improved within hours.
And after three days, he was fully recovered.
Cholera treatment centres were set up in line,
with a preparedness plan, where patients
were isolated and treated according to guidelines.
Oral rehydration points were installed within 48 hours
of the outbreak being declared.
Wash partners activated plans to improve
the provision of safe water.
These plans included encouraging and enabling people
to chlorinate their own water, activating NGO plans
to rehabilitate latrines in schools and health facilities,
and triggering 400 pre-trained community hygiene
promoters to boost the message that handwashing can
prevent the spread of cholera.
Health promotion plans were activated with partners
broadcasting radio messages, enabling communities
to recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms of cholera.
At the request of the Ministry of Health,
the World Health Organization provided
emergency medical supplies, rapid diagnostic test kits,
and technical support to NGOs, to implement correct case
management.
Prepositioning medical and diagnostic supplies
to all states, setting up an effective surveillance system,
and training health workers enabled
early detection and treatment of people infected with cholera.
Timely triggering of an outbreak alert and response
helped save Jarno's life.
In his community and country, outbreak preparedness
led to more lives saved, reduced suffering, efficient use
of scarce resources, and increased value for money.
Responding to outbreaks tomorrow is about preparing today.