, /PRNewswire/ -- With the highly contagious H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) spreading worldwide, provides a lesson in how to bring an outbreak under control quickly. After a deadly outbreak of H5N1 was found on a fur farm last summer, the country's human and animal health authorities launched a joint rapid response that ended the outbreak before any humans were affected. This is just one example of how public health specialists around the world are stopping disease outbreaks in their tracks, before they have a chance to make headlines.
Today, Resolve to Save Lives is releasing its "Epidemics that Didn't Happen" report, celebrating six successful outbreak responses in 2023 and demonstrating the transformative impact of sustained investment in epidemic preparedness. "Preparedness works. We can change the trajectory of an outbreak when we invest in preparing for it and responding rapidly after it has been detected," said .
"While the hard work of epidemic preparedness and health protection often goes unnoticed, it can mean the difference between a small outbreak and a large epidemic." Along with bird flu in , the report chronicles how public health workers stopped cholera in , dengue fever in , Lassa fever in , Neethling disease in , and leptospirosis in . In each case, investments in health systems saved lives, prevented human suffering, and safeguarded livelihoods.
The report highlights lessons that can be applied anywhere, to any health threat: The report also highlights a g.
