Health officials have published a new list of viruses and bacteria which they believe pose the greatest threat to public health.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says its “priority pathogen” guide is designed to help scientists and researchers focus their efforts and strengthen preparation for any future pandemic.
The list of 24 pathogen families is the first to consider global health threats, as well as threats specific to the British population, and it is hoped that it will speed up the development of vaccines.
The viral pathogen families classified as a high risk for both epidemics and pandemics include: Coronaviridae, which includes Covid-19; Orthomyxoviridae, which includes bird flu; and paramyxoviridae, causing the nipah virus.
Dr Isabel Oliver, chief scientist of UKHSA, said: “At the time of the increasing challenges and the increasing risks of infectious diseases.
“But at the same time, thanks to scientific progress, we have better instruments than we ever had to protect health from these threats.”
“After saying that there are areas where we need even more or better diagnostics, vaccines and medicine and therapeutics, and this tool is designed to inform the work of government researchers, but also our partners in the industrial and academy who are critical to developing these tools that we need so urgently.”
Experts assessed the pandemic and epidemic potential of each viral family in order to create the tool, with a view to the severity of the disease, transfer routes and previous pandemics among well-known pathogens in the family.
Each group then received a rating of high, medium or low risk based on the opinions of scientists at UKHSA.
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The instrument also contains information on whether the risk is sensitive to climate change, whether vaccines are available, and whether human-to-human transfer is likely, as well as their resistance to medicine such as antibiotics.
Dr Oliver said: “We have not arranged because the situation is constantly developing, as you can think, and one of the things we do in the UKHSA undertakes and monitor threats.”
She added: “This is an important lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic, is that it is very important that we consider the width of possible health threats, and that we continue to monitor and respond to the situation.
“So our approach is a lot to raise our resilience to all families and work with partners to promote resilience.”
