BERLIN, GERMANY / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has established a deadline for nations to recognize and analyze new health risks within 24 hours by the year 2030. This objective is at the heart of a newly unveiled five-year plan for the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, which was introduced during the World Health Summit 2026 in Berlin. The strategy emphasizes earlier detection of outbreaks, enhanced surveillance capabilities, and quicker interpretation of health information, covering the years from 2026 through 2030.
Established in Berlin in 2021, the WHO Pandemic Hub emerged in response to significant gaps in global disease monitoring highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The German government played a crucial role in supporting this initiative from its inception. Since then, the Hub has collaborated with over 160 WHO Member States and approximately 190 partner organizations and networks, bringing together public health authorities, researchers, and technical specialists who share data, track pathogens, and work to strengthen epidemic detection systems. The WHO manages the Hub through its broader Health Emergencies Programme.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has noted that the Hub has become an integral part of the global health security framework since its launch. The 2030 strategy sets ambitious goals for surveillance, outbreak detection, data analysis, and digital infrastructure development while also aiming to foster greater cooperation among nations and scientific institutions. To facilitate quicker assessment of emerging risks, the Hub plans to expand its toolkit, and WHO states that the strategy builds upon lessons learned during the first five years of the Hub’s operation, providing countries with a unified benchmark for outbreak intelligence.
Global Networks Accelerate Outbreak Detection
Supporting this new strategy are five major initiatives. Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources continuously scans publicly available information for signals indicating potential health threats, utilizing artificial intelligence to process vast amounts of data from open sources. WHO reports that more than 125 Member States and 30 regional and international organizations are active users of this platform, and its EIOS community comprises over 4,000 experts. This system assists health authorities in discovering, reviewing, and evaluating information that warrants closer public health scrutiny.
The International Pathogen Surveillance Network concentrates on genomic sequencing and bioinformatics, now involving nearly 360 partners from over 110 countries. The Collaboratory connects more than 2,000 specialists in modelling and data science. Additionally, the Collaborative Surveillance Initiative operates in more than 83 countries applying a One Health approach. WHO also intends to broaden digital tools through a new initiative aimed at secure data sharing and the responsible application of artificial intelligence. These programs form the operational backbone of the 2026 to 2030 strategy.
Partnerships in Berlin Extend Through 2031
The Hub has renewed its cooperation agreements with the Robert Koch Institute and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin through 2031. These collaborations encompass areas such as public health surveillance, pathogen genomics, artificial intelligence, and data science. Both organizations have partnered with WHO since the early days of the Hub in Berlin, combining international health coordination efforts with national research and public health expertise. Support from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health has bolstered these partnerships, which continue to sustain a Berlin-based network dedicated to research, analysis, and epidemic preparedness.
WHO emphasizes that its 24-hour target will steer the Hub’s activities through the end of the decade, urging nations to detect threats swiftly and develop a clearer understanding of how outbreaks unfold. The strategy also advocates for stronger digital infrastructure and broader access to pathogen intelligence. WHO plans to maintain its connections among national authorities, scientists, and international partners via existing networks, with the 2030 plan prioritizing rapid detection, shared data, and practical public health analysis as core elements of global epidemic readiness.