Side Event 5

Health and biological hazards

Main session objective:

• To highlight the value and use of multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) for public and animal health and the role of the health sector and animal health sector in all facets of MHEWs (e.g., risk monitoring, assessment, leadership in risk communication, and community engagement, emergency preparedness).
• To share experience and requirements for effective and efficient early warning systems for outbreaks and epidemics resulting from biological hazards at global, regional and national levels.
• To advocate for the inclusion and application of biological hazards and health hazards (e.g., epidemics and pandemics, hazardous air quality, and extreme temperatures) in MHEWS.
• To apply the “One Health” approach in response to outbreaks starting from risk monitoring and risk assessment to early warning, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities.

Expected outcomes/results:

• Recommendations for strengthening the integration of One Health and biological hazards in MHEWS.
• Increased understanding of key issues, opportunities, and requirements for early warning of One Health and biological hazards. 
• Appreciation of the vital role of the health sector in all aspects of early warning systems including risk monitoring, assessment, communication and emergency preparedness and response.
• The health dimensions of early warning systems are addressed from a risk perspective (not just hazards).

Key messages:

• MHEWS can help prevent an extensive range of acute and slow onset health impacts that can result from lack of preparedness for extreme weather events and other environmental emergencies. For example, death and injury in floods; storms and extreme temperatures; disease outbreaks triggered by failing water and sanitation systems; intoxications from exposure to chemical, radiological, or hazardous air quality compromise vital organs; droughts can have devastating nutritional impacts particularly on children; and the mental health impacts from all shocks and stresses cannot be underestimated. 
• To date, biological and health hazards have largely been separated from the development of MHEWS, despite the significant emergencies and impacts posed by epidemics and hazardous environmental conditions. Integration of information systems which manage both disaster and health risks can markedly improve national preparedness and response efforts to save lives. 
• The health and animal health sectors are major users of early warnings for a range of natural, biological, and technological hazards, and can uniquely contribute to MHEWS by providing disease related expertise, vulnerability information, and systems for risk monitoring and communication.  
• A common and better understanding of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery needs to biological hazards and events can benefit from scientific advances to forecast biological risks (i.e., waterborne, foodborne; airborne; vector-borne; body fluid-borne diseases; etc.), informed by lessons learned from previous outbreaks and understanding of predisposing human, animal and environmental
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• A “One Health” approach ensures dynamic interaction between animal and health sectors to manage zoonotic diseases, such as Rift Valley fever, including cost sharing between and among the involved sectors for early warning, early detection, prevention and control of outbreaks and epidemics.
• Applications of early warning, such as strengthening forecast-based financing, can assist health and animal health sectors to prepare for emergencies.