The All-Hazards Preparedness Approach: How Can We Be Better Prepared for the Next Public Health Crisis?

[This document is one of a series of discussion notes addressing fundamental questions about global health. Its purpose is to transfer scientific knowledge into the public conversation and the decision-making process. These documents are based on the best information available and may be updated as new information comes to light].

The COVID-19 pandemic will certainly not be the last crisis we face with the capacity to affect all areas of our society. Indeed, recent decades have seen an increase in the likelihood of health and environmental crises affecting our health and well-being directly or indirectly.

Beyond their origins, these crises share common characteristics that make it possible and desirable to prepare for them in a similar way, using the same model.

In this paper, we discuss an all-hazards strategy based on the development of essential protocols and action plans that can be quickly adapted to a particular situation.

It is the first in a series of ISGlobal papers that will analyse lessons learned from different types of crises and make recommendations for an all-hazards preparedness and response model.

It has been written by Elizabeth Diago, Clara Marín, Antoni Plasència, Gonzalo Fanjul and Elisabeth Cardis (ISGlobal).

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