Consider this quote by Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, in the Address at the 23rd Forum on Global Issues in March 2009:
“Surveillance for emerging diseases contributes to global security. If basic surveillance and laboratory capacities are compromised, will health authorities catch the next SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome], or spot the emergence of a pandemic virus in time to warn the world and mitigate the damage?”
The COVID-19 pandemic certainly is proof that Dr. Chan's greatest fears were realized. There was very little preparation in place to 'mitigate the damage'. A good surveillance system would take the cooperation of all countries as well as the many players in the "One Health" paradigm. So what exactly does a good surveillance system look like, and have we made any progress toward one?
