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INTERVIEW Korea to spearhead global initiative to fight disease threats
Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) / Courtesy of KDCA
By Jun Ji-hye
Coordination office for global health security opens at public health agency
Korea will take the lead in strengthening global preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks by coordinating countries and organizations, and connecting health experts worldwide particularly in the fields of diagnostic testing, surveillance and rapid response, the head of the public health agency said.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), highlighted the need to speed up efforts to protect the human race from growing health threats amid continued emergences of respiratory infections despite improvements in conditions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We also aim to expand cooperation and offer technical support as well as encourage communication between experts and the sharing of experience and knowledge among countries,” Jee said.
The interview was conducted on the occasion of the recent opening of the Global Health Security Coordination Office aimed at supporting the activities of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).
The new office opened on Dec. 11 at the KDCA located in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Its opening in Korea was decided during the GHSA’s biennial ministerial meeting held in November, 2022.
Jee Young-mee, sixth from left, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), poses with other participants after an opening ceremony for the Global Health Security Coordination Office at the KDCA in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Dec. 11. Courtesy of KDCA
The GHSA — a group of more than 70 countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations as well as private companies — has been working to boost international efforts in the field of infection prevention and control, since it was established in 2014.
Korea has been actively engaged in the steering group of the GHSA since its establishment and served as a chair of that group in 2017. The country has also made contributions of $100 million in 2015 and $200 million in 2022.
Jee, an infectious disease expert who previously served as CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea, said the launch of the GHSA came as international public health emergencies, such as the 2009 influenza pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, raised the need for more concerted efforts to address public health challenges.
“Despite the global efforts, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress on key health indicators such as life expectancy and immunization rates, according to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals report,” she said.
“Although COVID-19 is no longer defined as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), other respiratory infections including influenza and Mycoplasma pneumoniae are still prevalent, suggesting the probability of another pandemic occurring,” Jee added.
Amid growing concerns, the WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response has urged countries to include pandemic preparedness and response in their national priorities and make investments to prevent pandemics. The panel also called for establishing a surveillance and early warning system and developing an effective platform aimed at producing vaccines and treatments.
With broad experience in collaborating with WHO and international public health partners, Jee said each country’s efforts as well as global cooperation are essential in ensuring that no one is left behind, in a bid to accomplish these goals. She noted now is the time when the GHSA activities should be more impactful with the presence of a secretariat who plays a coordinating role.
“In this respect, Korea is committed to leading the efforts to address such difficulties by establishing the coordination office as a member country that has supported and participated in the GHSA since its launch,” Jee said, citing that the country’s public health emergency preparedness and response system gained global recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Korea has been requested to share its experiences, particularly with countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates and Mongolia,” she said. “Korea will continue to strengthen its role as a leading country in global health security, collaborating with advanced countries including the United States and the European Union.”