Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness and Response Through Integrated Modelling
The impacts of epidemics and pandemics can go beyond health and the health sector,
threatening livelihoods and other economic sectors. The complexity and uncertainty
surrounding these events and the potential multidimensional and distributional impacts
of response options imply that policy-making should be informed by evidence from the
integration of disciplines and through intersectoral collaborations. Integrated epidemiologic-macroeconomic
modelling (integrated modelling) can serve as a tool to explicitly adopt a multi-perspective
and multi-dimensional approach to epidemics and pandemics and systematically consider
the benefits and costs of different policy strategies and their distribution within
society. Although integrated modelling promises to overcome the siloed disciplines
and inherent tensions of priority-setting, the use of mathematical modelling in policy-making
and the capacity of producing integrated models vary across country contexts. This
guide proposes four initiatives and associated activities that can be adapted to context
to enhance the production and use of integrated modelling before, during and after
an epidemic or pandemic.
Published on May 07, 2024