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AWARE

As the world looks to improve pandemic preparedness and response capabilities to detect and respond to threats more rapidly, there is a unique opportunity to leverage the world’s assets and political will to implement and scale up effective Advance Warning and Response (AW&R) Systems. These systems are essential surveillance tools for the early and actionable detection of and responses to public health risks and biohazards, and that enable policy makers to take effective measures to avert and mitigate harm. AW&R systems should rest on an integrated information and data network, encompassing environmental observations, vulnerability assessments, disease outbreak risk analyses, and public communication. To understand key drivers of successful AW&R, it is critical to learn from the experiences and achievements of those who have successfully leveraged the many data streams of AW&R systems to inform decision-making and rapid-response actions.

The Advanced Warning and Response Exemplars (AWARE) project will research bright spots to inform the development, implementation, and maintenance of robust AW&R systems.

Researchers from ASSURE and EviTOH, meeting at the Wits IDORI offices

 

The purpose of this study is to understand how countries are responding to the threat of climate change by identifying the positive outliers in early warning, early detection, and outbreak response to significant public health events, including outbreaks of climate-sensitive infectious diseases (CSIDs) and those with epidemic and pandemic potential. Data generated from this study will assist in informing countries on how to mitigate the adverse effects that have been brought about by climate change.

The research project aimed to examine barriers and facilitators to developing, implementing, and sustaining robust Advance Warning and Response (AWaRe) in South Africa, Brazil, Kenya and Vietnam. This project was conducted from July 2024-September 2025 as part of the international AWARE program, which was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Gates Foundation, and Gates Ventures, with the ASSURE and Wits EViTOH teams serving as the South Africa Node of this international program.

Project team:

  • Prof Janan Dietrich & Ms Lerato Tsotetsi (ASSURE)
  • Prof Marietjie Venter & Ms Caitlin MacIntyre (Wits EViTOH)

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