Reimagining health security and preventing future pandemics: the NUS–Lancet Pandemic Readiness, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation Commission

Over the past two decades, linking health and security has become a key frame through which to understand the dangers and threats that a highly infectious pathogen, irrespective of its origin or source, can pose to populations. 1 Kamradt-Scott A Teo YY Katz R Singapore Statement on Global Health Security. BMJ Glob Health. 2022; 7e009949 Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar , 2 Assefa Y Hill PS Gilks CF et al. Global health security and universal health coverage: understanding convergences and divergences for a synergistic response. PLoS One. 2020; 15e0244555 Crossref Scopus (11) Google Scholar The list of global health security concerns has expanded in recent years to include HIV/AIDS, Ebola virus disease, COVID-19, and pandemic preparedness and response, among others. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the shortcomings of understanding and measuring countries’ abilities to respond to public health risks through only a security lens. 3 Tan MMJ Neill R Haldane V et al. Assessing the role of qualitative factors in pandemic responses. BMJ. 2021; 375e067512 Google Scholar Moving forward, national, regional, and global organisations ought to evaluate their pandemic responses to identify and, most importantly, incorporate lessons learnt. A crucial component in the prevention, preparedness, and response to future health risks involves assessing countries’ capacities to detect and react adequately to emerging outbreaks.