In a measure that is no doubt devised as a desperate attempt to hold tight to its grasp as the self-proclaimed arbiter of global pandemics, the World Health Organization just launched a new pandemic prevention plan. Released on April 27, 2023, the WHO’s Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) Initiative’s first module focuses on respiratory pathogens, including influenza, coronaviruses, and respiratory syncytial virus. According to WHO, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic “and the possible threat of avian influenza,” this module will enable countries to “critically review, test, and update their respiratory pandemic planning efforts to ensure they have the functional capacities and capabilities in place.”
While the first module focuses on respiratory pathogens as a potential future “COVID-19 scale” pandemic, the WHO boasts that PRET’s “systems, capacities, knowledge, and tools can be leveraged and applied for groups of pathogens based on their mode of transmission.” So never fear; besides a global respiratory catastrophe, the WHO is expecting global pandemics that are both vector-borne and foodborne, to name a few. The WHO reports, “A process is underway to identify the next group of pathogens, such as arboviruses, to be addressed under this initiative.” Ultimately, the PRET initiative will be poised to operationalize the objectives and provisions of the controversial Pandemic Accord, currently being negotiated by WHO Member States.