The first quarter of the 21st century has demonstrated the risk of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases with changing climate, urbanization and the growing global economy introducing vectors to new areas and pathogens to new vectors. As of 2021, diseases like West Nile, Ebola, Zika, avian influenza, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, swine influenza and SARS-CoV-2 have emerged or remerged, causing epidemics and pandemics.

As these diseases are new, medical countermeasures are frequently limited or non-existent, creating a significant danger to force health protection and public health. Diagnostic tests can have difficulty distinguishing between emerging diseases and other closely related diseases. Treatments for viral diseases in general are limited and are even more so for emerging pathogens. Medical interventions in general typically require several years until emergency approval much less full licensure. For example, the Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV was approved for use in December 2019, four years after the West Africa Ebola outbreak. Conversely, through innovative science, ample funding and a streamlined regulatory process, several SARS-CoV-2 vaccines received emergency use authorization in less than a year, potentially setting the tone for future emerging infectious disease responses. These experiences underscore the need for ongoing disease surveillance as well as flexible scientific infrastructure.

With decades of experience identifying and overcoming infectious diseases, AFRIMS is well positioned to rapidly shift its focus to overcome the most pressing threats of the day. Established study sites and ongoing collaborations across Southeast Asia allowed researchers to effectively reallocate resources and staff from legacy programs to address the COVID-19 pandemic.