Skip to main content

Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Fragile, Conflict and Violence (FCV) Situations

Countries
World
+ 25 more
Sources
World Bank
Publication date
Origin
View original

Five key questions to be answered

SUMMARY

Robust pandemic preparedness and response is an urgent need necessary to address vulnerability and to prevent, detect and respond to an outbreak in FCV situations. It contributes to universal health security, protecting all people from threats to their health, and should be integrated in broader efforts to strengthen health systems and make them more resilient through multistakeholder coordination.

Q1 WHY Invest in pandemic preparedness in FCV situations?

By definition, FCV countries have weaker performance in economic management, structural policies, social inclusion and equity policies, and/or public sector management and institutions. The World Bank Group (WBG) categorizes FCV countries as those with a Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) rating of 3.2 or below and/or with the presence of a UN and/or regional peace-keeping or peace-building mission during the last 3 years. Pandemics likely hit the hardest on weak systems and more vulnerable populations with less protection and services.

The Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in 2014-2015 resulted in a total of 28,616 confirmed cases and 11,310 deaths. Its case fatality rate was around 70%. There are more than 10,000 survivors with medical problems, including mental health issues, as well as 17,300 children who lost one or both parents to the Ebola.

The economic and fiscal impact of the Ebola outbreak has outlasted the epidemiological impact due to severe shocks to investment, production, and consumption. Losses are estimated at US$2.8 billion, or the GDP loss of US$125 per person in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Health workers caring for Ebola patients are at between 21 and 32 times higher risk than the general public for contracting the disease. During the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, 881 health workers were infected and 513 died. Disease outbreaks require thorough infection control measures and hazard payments to health workers.

Restricted access to health services and the loss of health workers at the time of the Ebola crisis led to worsening health services delivery by 23%. This caused setbacks in routine health services for malaria, tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health (RMNCH). The countries’ already devastated maternal mortality increased by 38% in Guinea, by 74% in Sierra Leone and by 111% in Liberia.

The annual global cost of moderately severe to severe pandemics is estimated to be about US$ 570 billion, or 0.7% of global income. Fragile countries are even more acutely and disproportionately affected.

In low-and middle-income countries, the cost of preparedness is less than $1 per person per year. Preparing for and preventing a pandemic is the best investment the international community can make for global public health.