The Global Outbreak Alert and Response System: An Integrated Approach to Infectious Disease Control
1. Introduction
Infectious diseases are a major public health problem and can have a significant impact on economies and social stability. They can also cause global pandemics. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is the leading international organisation dealing with the control of infectious diseases. WHO has developed a Global Outbreak Alert and response program to help in prevention and control of infectious diseases. The program uses a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach to address the challenges posed by infectious diseases.
2. The Need for an Integrated Approach to Infectious Disease Control
Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. They can be spread through direct contact with an infected person, animal or object, or indirectly through the air, water or food. They can also be spread by vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks or fleas. Infectious diseases can have a significant impact on public health, economies and social stability. They can cause global pandemics and lead to the death of millions of people.
WHO estimates that there are more than 1 billion new cases of infectious diseases each year, and more than 2 million people die from them. Infectious diseases are a major cause of death in low- and middle-income countries, where more than 95% of all deaths from these diseases occur. In high-income countries, infections still account for about 16% of all deaths. In addition to the human toll, infectious diseases have a significant economic impact. The annual cost of fighting HIV/AIDS is estimated to be more than US$ 15 billion, while the cost of malaria control is around US$ 2 billion per year.
The increasing globalisation of trade, travel and movement of people has made it easier for infectious diseases to spread around the world. In recent years, there have been several outbreaks of highly contagious diseases such as Ebola, SARS and Zika virus. These outbreaks have highlighted the need for a coordinated global response to combat infectious diseases. WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response System (GOARN) was established in 2000 to improve the world’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases.
3. The World Health Organisation’s Global Alert and Response System
The Global Outbreak Alert and Response System (GOARN) is WHO’s mechanism for rapidly mobilising resources to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases. GOARN consists of a network of institutions, organisations, individuals and tools that can be rapidly deployed to support countries in their response to outbreaks.
The system has four main components:
1) A network of institutions: GOARN brings together more than 1000 institutions in over 150 countries that have expertise in different areas related to outbreak response. These institutions include ministries of health, national laboratories, academic institutions, research centres, civil society organisations and private companies.
2) A network of individuals: GOARN has a roster of more than 4000 experts who can be deployed at short notice to support outbreak response activities in countries. These experts come from different disciplines including epidemiology, virology, microbiology, infection control, clinical medicine and public health.
3) A set of tools: GOARN provides access to a range of tools and resources that can be used in outbreak response activities. These tools include disease surveillance systems, laboratory diagnostic tests, epidemiological models and training materials.
4) A coordination mechanism: GOARN provides a coordination mechanism to ensure that outbreak response activities are carried out in a coordinated and efficient manner. The coordination mechanism includes a secretariat, an operations centre and a control centre. The secretariat provides administrative and logistical support to GOARN activities. The operations centre manages the deployment of resources and personnel to countries. The control centre monitors the progress of outbreak response activities and coordinates the activities of the different GOARN partners.
4. The Components of the Global Alert and Response System
The Global Outbreak Alert and Response System (GOARN) consists of four main components:
1. A network of institutions
2) A network of individuals
3) A set of tools
4) A coordination mechanism
The network of institutions provides expertise in different areas related to outbreak response. These institutions include ministries of health, national laboratories, academic institutions, research centres, civil society organisations and private companies. The network of individuals consists of more than 4000 experts who can be deployed at short notice to support outbreak response activities in countries. These experts come from different disciplines including epidemiology, virology, microbiology, infection control, clinical medicine and public health.
The set of tools includes disease surveillance systems, laboratory diagnostic tests, epidemiological models and training materials. The coordination mechanism includes a secretariat, an operations centre and a control centre. The secretariat provides administrative and logistical support to GOARN activities. The operations centre manages the deployment of resources and personnel to countries. The control centre monitors the progress of outbreak response activities and coordinates the activities of the different GOARN partners.
5. The Benefits of the Global Alert and Response System
The Global Outbreak Alert and Response System (GOARN) has helped to improve the world’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases. GOARN has been instrumental in the response to several major outbreaks including Ebola, SARS and Zika virus. The system has also helped to build capacity in countries to better prepare for and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases.
GOARN has four main benefits:
1) It helps to rapidly mobilise resources to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases.
2. It enhances international cooperation in outbreak response efforts.
3) It builds capacity in countries to better prepare for and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases.
4. It improves surveillance and reporting of infectious diseases.
6. Conclusion
Infectious diseases are a major public health problem and can have a significant impact on economies and social stability. They can also cause global pandemics. WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response System (GOARN) is a mechanism for rapidly mobilising resources to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases. GOARN has helped to improve the world’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases.