Health Security

As COVID-19 has demonstrated, disease outbreaks can overwhelm global health and economic systems, throwing populations into chaos and uncertainty.

Within 18 months from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 4 million people died and millions more were hospitalised or facing long-term health consequences from catching the virus.

While the pandemic’s economic impact is yet to be fully understood, estimates from the Ebola and SARS epidemics suggest the world lost near $100 billion in productivity, meaning COVID-19’s impact will be much greater. These crises have demonstrated the importance of pandemic preparedness, disease surveillance, and immunizations to safeguard our neighbourhoods and communities.

Our health security practice imagines a world where governments can act quickly to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats. One where countries work together, developing consensus and partnership across different ministries and neighbour states. And one where scientists and health workers have the resources and knowledge to provide the very best vaccines, medicines, and healthcare for their citizens.

We specialise in preventing, detecting, and responding to health threats.

Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure: We develop governance structures, strengthen human resources, and deliver commodities and consumables to support public health laboratories and infectious disease units.

Health Security Strategy Development & Costing: We help governments prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats by developing national health security plans, national action plans and accompanying budgets.

Pandemic Preparedness & Emergency Management: The threat of antimicrobial resistance, emerging diseases and zoonotic pathogens continues to increase. We support governments to prepare for pandemics and public health emergencies by developing and implementing strategies, training and equipping the public health workforce, and improving emergency management systems.

Policy Development: Strong policies come together with the right data, the right people and good communication. We translate hard surveillance data and scientific research into bespoke policy recommendations and conduct political economy analyses to identify the right people to put recommendations into action.

Institutionalising One Health: Ensuring national health, animal and environmental ministries work together to develop the best public health policies, means developing strong multisectoral coalitions and partnerships. We build networks within national governments to improve collaboration, information sharing and positive public health action.