Influenza viruses have caused four of the last six pandemics. To strengthen preparedness for the future, leading experts are calling for a sustainable European network for influenza research and response. They highlighted these recommendations in a recent article in the prestigious journal The Lancet stressing the urgency of such measures in light of global shifts, including the US withdrawal from the WHO.
Among the contributors is Prof. Dr. Gülşah Gabriel ,head of the Leibniz Lab for Pandemic Pandemic Preparedness LIV Department of Viral Zoonoses – One Health. The experts emphasize that closer collaboration between science and policy-makers is essential to ensure better preparedness for future pandemics.
The article highlights the successful model of the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) in the USA. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, this network has demonstrated the ability to respond rapidly to emerging threats, such as the current H5N1 outbreak, and to provide critical data that inform political decision-making.
A Rapid and Coordinated Scientific Response
Albeit having a strong research landscape, European funding programs are often fragmented and limited to short-term, non-renewable cycles. Experts argue that establishing a long-term, coordinated network modeled on the CEIRR in the US would greatly enhance Europe’s capacity to respond to pandemics.
A sustainable European network for influenza research is essential for addressing emerging infectious diseases with both scientific rigor and strategic coordination, enabling timely and effective measures to combat pandemics.
The authors of the article urge European research funders and policymakers — particularly the EU Commission and national governments — to establish a European counterpart to CEIRR. Considering the immense economic costs of past pandemics, which have reached into the trillions, such an investment is not only scientifically necessary but also economically prudent.
