The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced a plan for a new global hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence, data, surveillance and analytics innovation to help the world combat future infectious disease threats. The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence will be established in collaboration with Germany that will be based in Berlin.
"One of the lessons of COVID-19 is that the world needs a significant leap forward in data analysis to help leaders make informed public health decisions," said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement. "This requires harnessing the potential of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, combining diverse data sources, and collaborating across multiple disciplines. Better data and better analytics will lead to better decisions."
The WHO Hub, which is due to officially open later this year, is will create a large network of global data to "predict, prevent, detect, prepare for, and respond to pandemic and epidemic risks worldwide," according to the global health agency. The hub is also designed to support the work of public health experts and policy-makers in all member countries with insights so that they can make faster decisions to prevent and respond to future public health emergencies.
"The current COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we can only fight pandemics and epidemics together," Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel said in a statement. "The new WHO Hub will be a global platform for pandemic prevention, bringing together various governmental, academic and private sector institutions. I am delighted that WHO chose Berlin as its location and invite partners from all around the world to contribute to the WHO hub."
The coronavirus pandemic began first in China in late 2019, but the virus's origin still remains unclear. Currently, the world has confirmed over 158 million COVID-19 infections and nearly 3.3 million deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.