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Epidemic preparedness and response capacity against infectious disease outbreaks in 186 countries, 2018–2022

Objectives: Disruptive public health risks and events, including infectious disease outbreaks, are inevitable, but their effects can be mitigated by investing in prevention and preparedness. We assessed the epidemic preparedness and response capacities of health systems in 186 countries from 2018 to 2022.

Methods: We utilized data from the International Health Regulations (IHR) State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) submissions to assess health systems’ IHR capacities to (1) prevent, (2) detect, (3) respond, (4) enable resources and coordinate, and (5) ensure operational readiness from 2018 to 2022. We categorized the IHR capacities into five levels, with level 1 denoting the lowest level of national capacity and level 5 the highest. We calculated each index’s capacity level as the arithmetic mean of its related indicators and analyzed changes over time using the Mann–Kendall nonparametric trend test.

Results: SPAR reporting marginally improved from 92.9% (182 of 196 countries) in 2018 to 94.9% (186 of 196 countries) in 2022, with considerable improvement in all five capacity domains over this period: prevention (58.4 in 2018 to 66.5 in 2022), detection (74.7 to 78.3), response (56.5 to 67.8), enabling resources and coordination (63.0 to 68.3), and ensuring operational readiness (62.8 to 69.9). From the 2022 submissions, 116 (62%) countries reported functional (Level 4 or 5) prevention capacity, 162 (87%) had functional detection capacity, 118 (63%) had functional response capacity, 121 (65%) had functional enabling resources and coordination capacity, and 133 (72%) had functional operational readiness against public health events. Across all the indexes, the WHO African Region reported the fewest countries with functional capacity in these domains.

Conclusions: There was an overall increase in functional capacity across all five domains at both global and regional levels; and a high percentage of countries achieved functional capacity across all domains in 2022. However, a significant number of countries, particularly in the Global South, have yet to achieve functional competence in these capacities, leaving the world vulnerable to the persistent risk of epidemics and infectious biohazards. Strengthening IHR competencies through local, national, and global engagements must be urgently prioritized to achieve global health security against infectious diseases.

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Work Title Epidemic preparedness and response capacity against infectious disease outbreaks in 186 countries, 2018–2022
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Paul Eze
  2. Judith Chidumebi Idemili
  3. Friday Onwubiko Nwoko
  4. Nigel James
  5. Lucky Osaheni Lawani
Keyword
  1. Global health security
  2. International Health Regulation
  3. SPAR
  4. Epidemic preparedness
  5. Health systems
License CC BY 4.0 (Attribution)
Work Type Article
Acknowledgments
  1. We thank Dr. Carmen Mihaela Dolea and her team at the WHO International Health Regulation secretariat for their invaluable support.
Publisher
  1. BMC Infectious Diseases
Publication Date November 7, 2024
Subject
  1. Global health security
  2. Infectious diseases
Language
  1. English
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-10168-8
Deposited February 05, 2025

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Version 1
published

  • Created

    February 05, 2025 23:52 by pbe5047

  • Updated

    February 05, 2025 23:52 by [unknown user]

  • Updated

    February 05, 2025 23:59 by pbe5047

  • Updated Keyword, Subject, Language, and 5 more Show Changes

    February 06, 2025 00:02 by pbe5047

    Keyword
    • Global health security, International Health Regulation, SPAR, Epidemic preparedness, Health systems
    Subject
    • Global health security , Infectious diseases
    Language
    • English
    Publisher
    • SPRINGER NATURE
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-10168-8
    Related URLs
    • https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-10168-8
    Description
    • Objectives
    • Disruptive public health risks and events, including infectious disease outbreaks, are inevitable, but their effects can be mitigated by investing in prevention and preparedness. We assessed the epidemic preparedness and response capacities of health systems in 186 countries from 2018 to 2022.
    • Methods
    • We utilized data from the International Health Regulations (IHR) State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) submissions to assess health systems’ IHR capacities to (1) prevent, (2) detect, (3) respond, (4) enable resources and coordinate, and (5) ensure operational readiness from 2018 to 2022. We categorized the IHR capacities into five levels, with level 1 denoting the lowest level of national capacity and level 5 the highest. We calculated each index’s capacity level as the arithmetic mean of its related indicators and analyzed changes over time using the Mann–Kendall nonparametric trend test.
    • Results
    • SPAR reporting marginally improved from 92.9% (182 of 196 countries) in 2018 to 94.9% (186 of 196 countries) in 2022, with considerable improvement in all five capacity domains over this period: prevention (58.4 in 2018 to 66.5 in 2022), detection (74.7 to 78.3), response (56.5 to 67.8), enabling resources and coordination (63.0 to 68.3), and ensuring operational readiness (62.8 to 69.9). From the 2022 submissions, 116 (62%) countries reported functional (Level 4 or 5) prevention capacity, 162 (87%) had functional detection capacity, 118 (63%) had functional response capacity, 121 (65%) had functional enabling resources and coordination capacity, and 133 (72%) had functional operational readiness against public health events. Across all the indexes, the WHO African Region reported the fewest countries with functional capacity in these domains.
    • Conclusions
    • There was an overall increase in functional capacity across all five domains at both global and regional levels; and a high percentage of countries achieved functional capacity across all domains in 2022. However, a significant number of countries, particularly in the Global South, have yet to achieve functional competence in these capacities, leaving the world vulnerable to the persistent risk of epidemics and infectious biohazards. Strengthening IHR competencies through local, national, and global engagements must be urgently prioritized to achieve global health security against infectious diseases.
    Publication Date
    • 2024-11-07
  • Updated Acknowledgments Show Changes

    February 06, 2025 00:03 by pbe5047

    Acknowledgments
    • We thank Dr. Carmen Mihaela Dolea and her team at the WHO International Health Regulation secretariat for their invaluable support.
  • Added Creator Paul Eze

    February 06, 2025 00:03 by pbe5047

  • Added s12879-024-10168-8.pdf

    February 06, 2025 00:04 by pbe5047

  • Updated

    February 06, 2025 00:06 by pbe5047

  • Updated License Show Changes

    February 06, 2025 00:08 by pbe5047

    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • Published

    February 06, 2025 00:08 by pbe5047

  • Updated

    February 06, 2025 21:04 by [unknown user]

  • Updated Publisher, Description, Related URLs Show Changes

    March 31, 2025 13:42 by avs5190

    Publisher
    • SPRINGER NATURE
    • BMC Infectious Diseases
    Description
    • Objectives
    • Disruptive public health risks and events, including infectious disease outbreaks, are inevitable, but their effects can be mitigated by investing in prevention and preparedness. We assessed the epidemic preparedness and response capacities of health systems in 186 countries from 2018 to 2022.
    • Methods
    • We utilized data from the International Health Regulations (IHR) State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) submissions to assess health systems’ IHR capacities to (1) prevent, (2) detect, (3) respond, (4) enable resources and coordinate, and (5) ensure operational readiness from 2018 to 2022. We categorized the IHR capacities into five levels, with level 1 denoting the lowest level of national capacity and level 5 the highest. We calculated each index’s capacity level as the arithmetic mean of its related indicators and analyzed changes over time using the Mann–Kendall nonparametric trend test.
    • Results
    • SPAR reporting marginally improved from 92.9% (182 of 196 countries) in 2018 to 94.9% (186 of 196 countries) in 2022, with considerable improvement in all five capacity domains over this period: prevention (58.4 in 2018 to 66.5 in 2022), detection (74.7 to 78.3), response (56.5 to 67.8), enabling resources and coordination (63.0 to 68.3), and ensuring operational readiness (62.8 to 69.9). From the 2022 submissions, 116 (62%) countries reported functional (Level 4 or 5) prevention capacity, 162 (87%) had functional detection capacity, 118 (63%) had functional response capacity, 121 (65%) had functional enabling resources and coordination capacity, and 133 (72%) had functional operational readiness against public health events. Across all the indexes, the WHO African Region reported the fewest countries with functional capacity in these domains.
    • Conclusions
    • There was an overall increase in functional capacity across all five domains at both global and regional levels; and a high percentage of countries achieved functional capacity across all domains in 2022. However, a significant number of countries, particularly in the Global South, have yet to achieve functional competence in these capacities, leaving the world vulnerable to the persistent risk of epidemics and infectious biohazards. Strengthening IHR competencies through local, national, and global engagements must be urgently prioritized to achieve global health security against infectious diseases.
    • Objectives: Disruptive public health risks and events, including infectious disease outbreaks, are inevitable, but their effects can be mitigated by investing in prevention and preparedness. We assessed the epidemic preparedness and response capacities of health systems in 186 countries from 2018 to 2022.
    • Methods: We utilized data from the International Health Regulations (IHR) State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) submissions to assess health systems’ IHR capacities to (1) prevent, (2) detect, (3) respond, (4) enable resources and coordinate, and (5) ensure operational readiness from 2018 to 2022. We categorized the IHR capacities into five levels, with level 1 denoting the lowest level of national capacity and level 5 the highest. We calculated each index’s capacity level as the arithmetic mean of its related indicators and analyzed changes over time using the Mann–Kendall nonparametric trend test.
    • Results: SPAR reporting marginally improved from 92.9% (182 of 196 countries) in 2018 to 94.9% (186 of 196 countries) in 2022, with considerable improvement in all five capacity domains over this period: prevention (58.4 in 2018 to 66.5 in 2022), detection (74.7 to 78.3), response (56.5 to 67.8), enabling resources and coordination (63.0 to 68.3), and ensuring operational readiness (62.8 to 69.9). From the 2022 submissions, 116 (62%) countries reported functional (Level 4 or 5) prevention capacity, 162 (87%) had functional detection capacity, 118 (63%) had functional response capacity, 121 (65%) had functional enabling resources and coordination capacity, and 133 (72%) had functional operational readiness against public health events. Across all the indexes, the WHO African Region reported the fewest countries with functional capacity in these domains.
    • Conclusions: There was an overall increase in functional capacity across all five domains at both global and regional levels; and a high percentage of countries achieved functional capacity across all domains in 2022. However, a significant number of countries, particularly in the Global South, have yet to achieve functional competence in these capacities, leaving the world vulnerable to the persistent risk of epidemics and infectious biohazards. Strengthening IHR competencies through local, national, and global engagements must be urgently prioritized to achieve global health security against infectious diseases.
    Related URLs
    • https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-10168-8
  • Added Creator Judith Chidumebi Idemili

    March 31, 2025 13:42 by avs5190

  • Added Creator Friday Onwubiko Nwoko

    March 31, 2025 13:42 by avs5190

  • Added Creator Nigel James

    March 31, 2025 13:42 by avs5190

  • Added Creator Lucky Osaheni Lawani

    March 31, 2025 13:42 by avs5190