Pandemic literacy and viral zoonotic spillover risk at the frontline of disease emergence in Southeast Asia to improve pandemic preparedness (PANDASIA; EU HORIZON)
The PANDASIA project provides a framework that will increase our understanding of the biology of viruses with emerging infectious disease potential and their interaction with humans, animals, and the environment and translate this understanding into proactive preventative actions. Such research is crucial for providing evidence-based knowledge and tools for better integrative public health measures for local and national actors. We will develop models to identify and predict drivers of disease emergence, which will be evaluated with real-world data, refined, and used to develop health and pandemic literacy intervention strategies that reduce the risk of future viral emergence, thereby reducing the burden of zoonotic spillover to human health. Since pandemics arise at a local level, it is important to engage with local communities and health, environment, and agriculture authorities to improve their health and pandemic literacy to ensure adequate preparedness and vigilance for future spillover events and human, animal, and environmental health threats.
Contacts
Hans Overgaard
Email: hans.overgaard@nmbu.no