Durrance-Bagale Anna, Marzouk Manar, Ananthakrishnan Aparna, Nagashima-Hayashi Michiko, Lam Sze Tung, Sittimart Manit, Howard Natasha
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2022 May 4;2(5):e0000424. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000424. eCollection 2022.
Governmental awareness of the potential spread of infectious disease, exemplified by the current Covid-19 pandemic, ideally results in collective action, as countries coordinate a response that benefits all, contributing expertise, resources, knowledge and experience to achieve a common public good. However, operationalising regional cooperation is difficult, with barriers including lack of political will, regional heterogeneity, and existing geopolitical issues. We interviewed 23 people with regional expertise focusing on Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. All interviewees held senior positions in regional bodies or networks or had significant experience working with them. Operationalisation of a regional infectious disease body is complex but areas interviewees highlighted-organisational factors (e.g. integration and harmonisation; cross-border issues; funding, financing and sustainability; capacity-building; data sharing); governance and diplomacy (e.g. building collaborations and partnerships; communication; role of communities; diplomacy; leadership; ownership; sovereignty; political commitment); and stakeholders and multilateral agreements-will help promote successful operationalisation. The international infectious disease community has learned valuable lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, not least the necessity of pooling human, financial and technological resources, constructing positive working relationships with neighbours, and sharing data. Without this kind of regional cooperation, infectious diseases will continue to threaten our future, and the next pandemic may have even more far-reaching effects.
以当前的新冠疫情为例，政府对传染病潜在传播的认识，理想情况下会促成集体行动，因为各国会协调一种惠及所有人的应对措施，贡献专业知识、资源、知识和经验以实现共同的公共利益。然而，实施区域合作困难重重，障碍包括缺乏政治意愿、区域异质性以及现有的地缘政治问题。我们采访了23位专注于亚洲、非洲、美洲和欧洲的区域专家。所有受访者均在区域机构或网络中担任高级职位，或拥有与这些机构合作的丰富经验。建立一个区域传染病机构的实施过程很复杂，但受访者强调的领域——组织因素（如整合与协调；跨境问题；资金、融资与可持续性；能力建设；数据共享）；治理与外交（如建立合作关系与伙伴关系；沟通；社区的作用；外交；领导力；自主权；主权；政治承诺）；以及利益相关者和多边协议——将有助于推动成功实施。国际传染病界从新冠疫情中学到了宝贵经验，尤其是汇集人力、财力和技术资源、与邻国建立积极工作关系以及共享数据的必要性。没有这种区域合作，传染病将继续威胁我们的未来，而下一场大流行可能会产生更深远的影响。
