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Review
. 2024 Nov;30(14):9-12.
doi: 10.3201/eid3014.240305.

Global Emerging Infections Surveillance Program Contributions to Pandemic Preparedness and Response

Kathleen E Creppage, M Shayne Gallaway, Dara A Russell, June M Early, Hunter J Smith, Aileen C Mooney, Ashley M Hydrick, Matthew R Kasper
Review

Global Emerging Infections Surveillance Program Contributions to Pandemic Preparedness and Response

Kathleen E Creppage et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024 Nov.

Abstract

Since its establishment in 1997, the US Department of Defense (DoD) Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) program has provided support for infectious disease pandemic preparedness and response. The GEIS program has shown the value of having a central hub responsible for coordinating a global network of DoD laboratories that conduct surveillance for militarily relevant infectious disease threats. The program has supported the establishment and maintenance of capabilities for collecting, characterizing, and reporting on major infectious disease events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox outbreak. The GEIS program enables the US government to mitigate infectious disease threats to DoD mission readiness and to effectively respond to pathogens worldwide. Continued investment in maintaining the GEIS program and its network is critical for timely detection and response to future emerging infectious disease threats in various populations within locations where gaps in US government or host-nation surveillance might exist.

Keywords: COVID-19; DOD; Department of Defense; GEIS; Global Emerging Infections Surveillance Program; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; United States; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; pandemic; pandemic preparedness; pandemic response; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; zoonoses.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
Timeline of key Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance program events in support of pandemic preparedness and response, United States. Boxes and text indicate critical activities that occurred on or within specific time points. Time points were selected if multiple activities occurred within a several year period. Surveillance program was established in 1997 and has supported and continues to support multiple pandemic and outbreak responses, beginning with pandemic influenza. Key events in the GEIS program history are indicated where the program office or its partners provided support for infectious disease outbreak response or pandemic preparedness activities, including sequencing of samples to better characterize infectious disease threats as they emerged. GEIS, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance; MPXV, monkeypox virus.
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