Photo: Griffin Wooldridge / Unsplash
Scientists have created a new framework designed to help Aotearoa better manage pandemics.
Infectious disease research organisation Te Niwha and the Public Health Agency drew on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic to design a new preparedness and response approach catering for a range of likely scenarios.
The report, titled Likely Pandemic Agents and Scenarios - an Epidemiological and Public Health Framework, is intended to prevent severe illness, save lives and minimise disruption to New Zealanders' lives.
Aotearoa did have a pandemic plan before Covid-19 hit - but it was only geared towards influenza, and did not mention the possibilities of things like elimination strategies, Te Niwha chief science advisor and epidemiologist Professor Nigel French said.
"So this is an attempt to try and look more widely, at a wider range of potential pandemic agents, identify the core capabilities that we need to prepare for and to make sure that we have in advance of the next pandemic coming along."
The new framework is far more comprehensive - considering around 21 different viruses and bacteria, and including newer technologies and tools necessary to deal with a future pandemic.
"It's a framework that's been put together by a number of experts that worked very closely on Covid and other public health issues, that should be used to inform future strategic plans for dealing with pandemics and other health emergencies in the future," French said.
The framework also outlined the importance and effectiveness of community-led responses, especially in Māori and Pacific communities, he said - acknowledging issues with the vaccine rollout during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It's empowering communities to make decisions to carry out activities which are for the benefit of their communities that they know are much more effective.
"It's about giving a voice for community leaders as well, to enable them to correctly send out messages to those people in the communities, to make sure they have access to the right information and the right resources to make local responses more effective."
