For too long, the theory and practice of infectious disease outbreak response has been the domain of a small number of experienced responders. The COVID-19 pandemic brought global attention to the requirements of effective outbreak response, and the need for preparation across the key pillars. Decisionmakers, early career practitioners and those in the field now have access to a comprehensive text that brings together evidence based and practical insights from the best in the business. Dale Fisher, Professor of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, was chair of WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network prior to and throughout most of the pandemic. In this massive collaborative effort, he marshals nearly 100 top public health leaders and experts from the front lines to present 37 chapters on pandemic preparedness and response, drawing heavily on experiences from COVID-19, as well as from Ebola, MERS, SARS-1, influenza and other outbreaks of modern times. The contributors include experts from health ministries and Centres for Disease Control and national public health institutions around the world, from international organizations like the WHO, MSF, IFRC and UNICEF and from research institutions and various NGOs from dozens of countries, adding to the diversity and richness of the descriptions. The book can be used as a reference or as a textbook, where each chapter describes the features of outbreak preparedness, including field epidemiology, risk communications, managing health services in a pandemic, vaccine management, leadership, contact tracing and laboratory management and testing amongst others.

Action, panic, blame, and denial are common stress-driven responses in the face of any calamity, including a pandemic. When attempting concerted action as a response, doctors, nurses, scientists, politicians, and the myriad of others involved will work most effectively if they see a common purpose in coordinated action. This requires leadership to build a common vision, feasible approach, and concerted plan that can be followed by all those involved. These elements create the foundation for effective teamwork in any organisation, particularly in a pandemic response where urgency is of the essence. A key characteristic of a team is that the individual members contribute different strengths which achieve synergy when combined. Working together to realise a common objective is a requirement of effective teams, where members of a team are committed and support each other to achieve shared goals. Teamwork, whether at a family, organisation, or even country level, is a key element in preparing to navigate through a pandemic with the most effective response.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a central function of healthcare facilities and health systems as they respond to rapidly emerging infectious diseases. Recent events, such as the West Africa Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic, have put these capabilities to the test in many different settings. This chapter will present an overview of IPC in managing these infectious disease outbreaks or pandemics and look at the most recent ideas for how to implement emergency IPC programmes, based on adapted and feasible IPC policies.

Infectious disease emergencies strain even the best-resourced health systems, threatening the ability to provide high quality clinical care. During an outbreak, a strategic approach is needed to maintain and build on the pillars that ensure the best clinical outcomes. These include the optimisation of supportive care, continuous monitoring of processes and outcomes, real-time data sharing, flexible protocols that can evolve with surges in health demand, and the adoption of new research findings. While managing an extraordinary event, health systems must maintain their essential services, including those that are not outbreak related.

The application of mathematical modelling to the dynamics of infectious disease outbreaks has been pivotal over the past five decades. The significance of such modelling escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic, influencing political decisions and shaping public discourse. Infectious disease models enhance our understanding of epidemiology and disease dynamics, predict transmission rates and patterns, and aid in evaluating public health interventions. Despite their utility, models cannot fully encapsulate the complexities of real-world scenarios, which are influenced by dynamic social behaviours and policy changes. This chapter explains the key model parameters and epidemiological indices fundamental to infectious disease modelling, such as the basic reproduction number \mathcal{R}_{0} and the effective reproduction number {R}_{t}. These indices predict disease trajectories, inform vaccination strategies, and guide public health responses. The chapter also discusses the implications of symptom profiles, infectivity, incubation periods, disease severity, test positivity, and vaccine efficacy on modelling efforts. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of collaborative efforts between modellers and public health officials to ensure the accuracy and applicability of models in diverse contexts. Ultimately, infectious disease models are invaluable tools for forecasting disease spread and severity, guiding critical healthcare resources, and informing policy decisions to mitigate the impact of outbreaks.

Vaccines are crucial in protecting against infectious diseases. Their equitable distribution is important in tackling infectious disease health crises and intricately related to questions of social justice. However, vaccination rates are highly uneven between and within countries. In a digital age with highly unequal geographies, even if vaccines are easily accessible, vaccine hesitancy has also emerged as a significant barrier. This chapter seeks to explore the issue of vaccine equity and identify barriers to attaining it. The particular theme of vaccine hesitancy will be highlighted and analysed. A critical perspective will be presented, focusing on structural and systematic barriers to vaccine uptake, and how they intersect with one another across various levels.