On September 1, 2021 the WHO launched the Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence based in Berlin,”to provide the world with better data, analytics and decisions to detect and respond to health emergencies”. [1, 2, 3]
Justified as the “COVID-19 pandemic has given us a shared experience that shows how interconnected our lives are and how public health depends on each one of us”. The Hub” will strengthen intelligence specifically for pandemics and epidemics by striving for better data, better analytics, and better decisions”…”[i]t will leverage WHO’s unique convening power across nearly 200 countries to foster global solutions.” [4]
At the launch, WHO representative Dr Mike Ryan stated “the main limitation in surveillance systems currently is local surveillance capacity, which needs to be strengthened and, additionally, connected globally in an unbreakable, interlinked system” [5]