BERLIN, GERMANY / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has announced a five-year plan aimed at enhancing global outbreak detection capabilities. The initiative strives for every nation to identify and comprehend emerging health threats within 24 hours by 2030. WHO revealed this strategy during the World Health Summit 2026 in Berlin, emphasizing that quicker detection can enable earlier public health responses before outbreaks escalate across communities or borders. The 24-hour target provides a definitive worldwide benchmark for surveillance performance.
Leading the effort from Berlin, the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence will implement the strategy from 2026 to 2030. Established in 2021 with initial support from the German government following vulnerabilities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hub now collaborates with over 160 WHO Member States and 190 partner organizations and networks. Its work encompasses surveillance, pathogen identification, data analysis, and international cooperation on emerging health threats. The Hub functions as part of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the Hub has become an integral component of the global health security system since its inception. The new strategy outlines four main objectives: strengthening surveillance, accelerating detection, improving analysis, and establishing trusted digital foundations. WHO indicated that the program will link governments, public health authorities, scientists, and technology experts. The organization aims to enhance existing systems and broaden access to tools for rapid threat evaluation, while also emphasizing the importance of transforming health data into actionable information for public health decision-making.
Five core initiatives underpin the strategy
The approach will be executed through five interconnected initiatives focused on open-source intelligence, pathogen surveillance, modeling, national surveillance, and digital systems. Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources employs artificial intelligence to scan thousands of public sources daily for potential health threats. WHO reports that this system supports more than 125 Member States and 30 regional and international organizations. Its global EIOS community includes over 4,000 experts dedicated to health threat detection and assessment, providing participating authorities with real-time information from publicly available sources.
The International Pathogen Surveillance Network enhances genomic sequencing and bioinformatics capabilities to identify and analyze emerging pathogens. Tedros noted that the network now involves nearly 360 partners across more than 110 countries. The Collaboratory connects over 2,000 modeling and data science specialists who can assist responses to new threats. The Collaborative Surveillance Initiative operates in over 83 countries and supports national agencies through a One Health approach. Additionally, a new Digital Enablers initiative will focus on secure data sharing, analysis, and responsible artificial intelligence use.
Partnerships in Berlin extended through 2031
The WHO Hub has also renewed agreements with the Robert Koch Institute and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin through 2031. These collaborations, which began in 2021, focus on surveillance, genomics, data science, and public health preparedness, with support from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health. The partnerships combine WHO’s global leadership with the institute’s expertise in public health and Charité’s clinical and research strengths. The renewed agreements continue joint efforts to link scientific research with practical public health systems.
WHO emphasizes that the 24-hour detection goal remains the key objective of its Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence strategy through 2030. The Hub assists countries in establishing systems capable of early threat detection and understanding outbreak development. Its strategy also aims to strengthen digital infrastructure, broaden analytical cooperation, and improve pathogen surveillance. WHO intends to leverage its global networks to bolster national capacities for detecting and evaluating new health threats. The five-year plan builds on the first five years of international collaboration by the Hub.