Description
The Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) program was launched by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) and consists of four projects known as PREDICT,
RESPOND, IDENTIFY, and PREVENT. The EPT program emphasizes early
identification of and response to dangerous pathogens in animals before they can
become significant threats to human health and seeks to aggressively preempt or combat
diseases that could spark future pandemics. The EPT program will help develop better
predictive models for early identification of viral and other biological threats in
resource-poor “hot spot” regions (where threats are most likely to emerge) and will
enhance regional, national, and local capacities for surveillance, laboratory diagnosis,
and field epidemiology in both the animal and human health sectors.
Purpose
To ensure a coordinated, comprehensive international effort to preempt the emergence
of future pandemic diseases.
Scope International – the EPT program focuses on “hot spots” (where new disease threats have emerged in the past) in the Congo Basin of East and Central Africa, the Mekong region
and other areas of Southeast Asia, the Amazon region of South America, and the
Gangetic Plain of South Asia.
Primary Funders
USAID
Participants & Key Collaborators
Partners vary by EPT project and include US and international public and private
organizations, institutes, and universities. The EPT program also receives technical
support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Definition of One Health
The EPT program was launched due to the recognition of the need for the development
of comprehensive disease detection and response capacities. The program brochure
identifies the "One Health" approach as the integration of a multisector approach to
public health objectives.
Monitoring & Evaluation Strategy
Monitoring and evaluation is not mentioned in the EPT program overview and likely
varies by individual project.
Sources of Information
EPT Program Overview and Brochure:
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/News/ai_docs/ept_brochure.pdf
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/News/ai_docs/emerging_threats.pdf
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