Epidemics and pandemics are some of the biggest threats to a safe and healthy world. They are on the rise, and in today’s connected world, they are spreading further and faster than ever before.
Known epidemics—such as cholera, measles, Ebola, and malaria—continue to threaten large parts of the world’s population. And, as we saw with COVID-19, the world is also at risk from new infectious diseases that can claim millions of lives, bring health systems to their knees, and reverse decades of development progress.
But the good news is that with effective preparedness and response measures, we can reduce the impacts of epidemics and pandemics and even stop them in their tracks.
The IFRC and our member National Societies have long focused on helping people prepare for, respond to, and recover from health emergencies. Born in the wake of the 1918 influenza pandemic, at the IFRC we know from experience that communities can be the first line of defence against epidemics and pandemics when equipped with the right knowledge, behaviours, skills, and tools.
Through global programmes—such as the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3) with USAID and the Programmatic Partnership with the European Union—we’ve been engaging and training people worldwide in epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response for many years. We help people prevent, detect and quickly respond to outbreaks—saving countless lives and building healthier, more resilient communities.
Stepping up our efforts in 2024
A Tajikistan Red Crescent volunteer in the remote region of Mullamir speaks to a cattle owner about the risk of zoonotic diseases and explains how he can recognize and report signs of disease in his cows.
Photo: Yulia Bilenko/IFRC
In 2024, the IFRC significantly stepped up our work in epidemic and pandemic preparedness:
- With support from the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund, and in collaboration with key national and international partners, IFRC was selected to launch two new regional epidemic preparedness programmes. In Africa, the Preparedness for Pandemic Response (PREPARE) programme will strengthen cross-border collaboration, disease surveillance and health systems in East and Central Africa to address health challenges such as the ongoing mpox epidemic. And in Asia Pacific, the Enhancing collaborative surveillance and diagnostic readiness for pandemic preparedness and response in South-East Asia Region will improve early warning and disease surveillance systems, laboratory systems and community health workforce capacity across eight countries.
- With USAID support, we were delighted to expand the CP3 programme this year into 11 new countries—Burundi, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Philippines, Tajikistan, Thailand, Vietnam and Zambia—to prepare even more communities for epidemics and pandemics.
Together, these new commitments take the total number of countries where IFRC is directly supporting epidemic preparedness programmes up to 48. This figure doesn’t include the great work being done at the national level by many more Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world.
Trusted, local, and always there
Through the Programmatic Partnership with the European Union, the Guatemala Red Cross has provided health assistance and awareness to rural communities in Quetzaltenango to improve their preparedness for epidemics and pandemics.
Photo: Hermanos Corallo/IFRC
As trusted local actors embedded in their communities and permanently present in areas other organizations cannot reach, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are best placed to support community-level epidemic and pandemic preparedness. The IFRC works to strengthen National Societies’ ability to prepare for and respond to epidemics through training, technical assistance, advocacy support and coordination.
Together, we also engage a wide range of stakeholders in epidemic and pandemic preparedness—such as governments, religious leaders, businesses and the media—because we know that all parts of society need to come together to keep people safe from epidemics and pandemics.
The time to prepare is now
Nepal Red Cross volunteers engage community members in Pokhara in dengue fever prevention activities, sharing valuable information on environmental cleanliness to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and personal protective measures so families can stay safe.
Photo: Nepal Red Cross Society
COVID-19 was a wake-up call to the world to prepare now for the next health crisis. The pandemic claimed millions of lives and revealed major gaps in epidemic and pandemic preparedness around the world.
The IFRC network is doing essential work right now to prepare communities for the next pandemic. But more investment is needed globally to strengthen health systems and ensure societies are prepared for an increasingly hazardous world.
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To stay up to date with the IFRC’s work in epidemic and pandemic preparedness, sign up to our monthly newsletter which features highlights from Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world.
And for practical epidemic preparedness resources, check out our Epidemic Control Toolkit—available in multiple languages—for guidance on evidence-based methods to prevent and control the spread of epidemics at the community-level.