COVID has shown us that biorisk challenges fall on all countries, regardless of how prepared and well-resourced the countries are. While there certainly are many problems with pandemic preparedness high-income countries that need to be addressed, LMIC countries face even more issues in helping detect, identify, contain, mitigate, and/or prevent currently known and novel pathogens. Additionally, even after high income countries successfully contain a pathogen it may continue to spread within LMIC countries opening up risk of further more virulent mutations.
We’d like to see a project that works with LMIC governments to understand their current pandemic prevention plans and understand their local context. This project would especially focused on novel pathogens that are more severe than currently known pathogens—and help provide the resources and knowledge needed to upgrade their plans to match the best practices of current bio-risk experts. Such a project would likely benefit from a team that contains expertise working with LMIC countries. An emergency fund and expert advice can also be provisioned to be ready to go when pathogens are detected.
Within the effective altruism movement, some organizations that have successfully worked with LMIC countries like the Lead Exposure Elimination Project, Fortify Health, Suvita, Wave, and Fish Welfare Initiative could be consulted about how they successfully adapted to local contexts. Outside of our immediate movement, it will be important to work with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and understand what they are doing and where their efforts may need additional support.
A large grant to Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) targeted to concerns about novel pathogens may also be warranted.
Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion and not the opinion of Rethink Priorities. This project idea was not seen by anyone else at Rethink Priorities prior to posting.
Pandemic preparedness in LMIC countries
Biorisk
COVID has shown us that biorisk challenges fall on all countries, regardless of how prepared and well-resourced the countries are. While there certainly are many problems with pandemic preparedness high-income countries that need to be addressed, LMIC countries face even more issues in helping detect, identify, contain, mitigate, and/or prevent currently known and novel pathogens. Additionally, even after high income countries successfully contain a pathogen it may continue to spread within LMIC countries opening up risk of further more virulent mutations.
We’d like to see a project that works with LMIC governments to understand their current pandemic prevention plans and understand their local context. This project would especially focused on novel pathogens that are more severe than currently known pathogens—and help provide the resources and knowledge needed to upgrade their plans to match the best practices of current bio-risk experts. Such a project would likely benefit from a team that contains expertise working with LMIC countries. An emergency fund and expert advice can also be provisioned to be ready to go when pathogens are detected.
Within the effective altruism movement, some organizations that have successfully worked with LMIC countries like the Lead Exposure Elimination Project, Fortify Health, Suvita, Wave, and Fish Welfare Initiative could be consulted about how they successfully adapted to local contexts. Outside of our immediate movement, it will be important to work with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and understand what they are doing and where their efforts may need additional support.
A large grant to Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) targeted to concerns about novel pathogens may also be warranted.
Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion and not the opinion of Rethink Priorities. This project idea was not seen by anyone else at Rethink Priorities prior to posting.