Updated WHO list of emerging pathogens for a potential future pandemic: Implications for public health and global preparedness

Abstract

Historically, pandemics constitute a major nuisance to public health. They have a debilitating impact on global health with previous occurrences causing major mor-talities worldwide. The adverse outcomes are not limit-ed to health outcomes but ravage the social, economic, and political landscapes. The World Health Organization (WHO) stands at the front of the pandemic re-sponse, strategizing to contain and mitigate the impacts on humans and the environment. It also intervenes in regional disease outbreaks that pose a threat to global health through strategic technical guidance, resource allocations, and expert support. With emerging patho-gens, and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions are currently underway on global preparedness for a potential future pandemic. The effects of previous pandemics underscore the need to improve global health preparedness for upcoming pandemics. The WHO’s July 2024 updated list of emerging pathogens serves as a potential tool to foster global health readiness for a future pandemic. It represents a change in the world’s approach to emerging and re-emerging pathogens, shifting focus from specific pathogens to adopting a broader family-focused approach. This new list recognizes the shortcomings of previous lists and adopts a more forward-thinking, proactive, and flexible approach to dealing with familiar and unfamiliar pandemic risks, now incorporating ‘Prototype Pathogens’ and ‘Pathogen X’ into its risk classification. The WHO has set the pace, developing tools and guidelines for practice. This updated list of high-priority pathogens seeks to gear research and development toward com-bating and neutralizing the virulence of these patho-gens. Recent outbreaks of Cholera, Mpox, and Dengue fever in Africa, Avian influenza (H5N2) in Mexico, Ni-pah virus disease in Bangladesh, and Oropouche virus in the Americas necessitate intensifying regional disease surveillance Research organizations and institu-tions must prioritize incorporating these tools and ap-proaches for shared learning and collective action established during the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent public health emergencies in the Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) Initiative as outlined by WHO.