Health Emergencies

Health emergencies can arise from infectious pathogens, natural disasters, climate-related events, and conflicts. The COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2023) resulted in over 7 million confirmed deaths and pushed an additional 70 million people into extreme poverty. Economic losses are estimated to exceed $10 trillion.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) compounds the threat, being one of the top 10 global health risks and claiming almost 5 million lives each year, with 1.3 million deaths directly attributable to AMR. If unchecked, AMR could reduce global GDP by 3.8% annually by 2050 and push 28 million people into poverty.

In addition to pathogens, disasters and climate events result in thousands of major emergencies; between 2000 and 2019, there were over 7,000 major disasters that claimed 1.2 million lives and affected more than 4 billion people. Countries experiencing fragility, conflict, and violence are particularly vulnerable.

These realities highlight the need for stronger prevention, preparedness, and response capacities across all sectors (One Health) and underline the importance of equitable access to medical countermeasures and sustained funding.

The World Bank’s approach to health emergency prevention, preparedness, and response (HEPPR) focuses on three interrelated pillars:

Strengthening and scaling core capacities across multiple sectors for prevention, preparedness, and response. This includes developing surveillance systems, early-warning networks, laboratories, a capable health workforce, and One Health collaborations.

Enabling equitable access to medical countermeasures—vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, devices, and personal protective equipment—to ensure all populations benefit from advancements.

Mobilizing rapid, scaled, and coordinated surge financing while building emergency-ready public financial management systems.

The strategy utilizes dedicated financing instruments, including the Pandemic Fund, which has awarded $885 million in grants, catalyzing an additional $6 billion from partners to support 47 projects across 75 countries.

The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) Umbrella Program provides upstream catalytic financing to vulnerable countries and has already supported more than 42 countries with over $125 million in grants. These programs complement broader health financing from the International Development Association (IDA) and the World Bank’s Crisis Preparedness and Response Toolkit, enabling countries to strengthen systems before and during crises.

Investments in health emergencies are producing tangible results. The first two funding rounds of the Pandemic Fund are supporting projects that upgrade laboratories, enhance surveillance, and build workforce capacity in countries such as Bhutan, Ethiopia, and throughout the Caribbean.

The Africa CDC Regional Investment Financing Project invests $250 million to strengthen regional laboratories, surveillance networks, and emergency response mechanisms across Ethiopia, Zambia, and the African Union.

In West and Central Africa, the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems (REDISSE) Program allocates $657 million to improve laboratory capacity in 16 countries, finance emergency responses, and support policy dialogue on cross-border outbreaks.

The East Africa Public Health Laboratory Networking Project has upgraded 41 laboratories in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, expanding diagnostic services for vulnerable populations and improving outbreak preparedness for more than 10 million people.

Countries are also enhancing their national health emergency programs. For example, Ethiopia is expanding digital alert systems and workforce training, while India’s pandemic preparedness program strengthens AMR surveillance and One Health capacity. These achievements demonstrate how coordinated financing and technical assistance can develop the systems and capacities needed to prevent and respond to health emergencies.

Countries can build foundational capacity with financing designed for prevention, preparedness, and rapid response. Dedicated mechanisms help strengthen core capacities like surveillance, laboratories, and workforce readiness, while enabling quick mobilization during emergencies. These tools complement broader country investments by helping sustain long-term preparedness and reduce the impact of shocks.

Regional health security programs help countries act together on shared risks that do not stop at borders. These initiatives strengthen cross-border surveillance, laboratory networks, and emergency coordination, supporting faster detection and collective action. Regional approaches are especially important where outbreaks spread quickly and where shared systems improve efficiency and preparedness.

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