Abstract
Effective epidemic preparedness and response (EPR) involve the capabilities of public health and health care systems, together with people and communities, to prevent, respond and recover from health emergencies, particularly those which can overwhelm routine capacities. A health systems approach can be useful to outline the basic architecture of the main functions involving EPR actions and their interactions, reinforcing the need for collaborative and integrated schemes. EPR is largely the duty of governments and multilateral agencies, with a cross-sectoral approach. The many lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic need to be actively implemented, from global instruments for transnational response to multidisciplinary capacities at all levels along the continuum of prevention, surveillance, case detection, diagnostics, treatment and prophylaxis and community control, as well as resilience and recovery actions. Finally, the unacceptable impact of epidemics and pandemics on vulnerable populations world-wide requires that equity-oriented policies and programmes be embedded into EPR actions.
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Plasència, A., Sepúlveda, J. (2023). Epidemic Preparedness and Response. In: Raviglione, M.C.B., Tediosi, F., Villa, S., Casamitjana, N., Plasència, A. (eds) Global Health Essentials. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33851-9_55
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