Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-30 |
| Journal | European Journal for the History of Medicine and Health |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 12 May 2025 |
Abstract
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the emergence of new diseases and the growing awareness of antibiotic resistance brought infectious diseases back into the spotlight as a major threat, challenging the perception that such dangers were confined to the past. As a result, public health experts at the national levels (in our case, the Federal Republic of Germany) and at the international level (here, the World Health Organization) have restructured and intensified internationally coordinated pandemic planning. This article analyzes, first of all, how pandemic futures were shaped in crisis mode with the help of scenario planning. In a second step, it discusses what measures have been proposed to cope with such risks and to remain capable of acting in anticipation of future catastrophes. Preparedness, not prevention, was the strategy for planning these future pandemic events; specific "cultures of not knowing"were developed to incorporate uncertainty into the planning process, and new structures were built to enable responsivity.
Keywords
- Germany, pandemic planning, preparedness, prevention, World Health Organization (who)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities(all)
- History
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: European Journal for the History of Medicine and Health, 12.05.2025, p. 1-30.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Preparing for Future Global Crises
T2 - Germany and the World Health Organization's Scenarios of Pandemic Planning Since the 1990s
AU - Lisner, Wiebke
AU - Voges, Jonathan
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 Wiebke Lisner and Jonathan Voges.
PY - 2025/5/12
Y1 - 2025/5/12
N2 - In the 1990s and early 2000s, the emergence of new diseases and the growing awareness of antibiotic resistance brought infectious diseases back into the spotlight as a major threat, challenging the perception that such dangers were confined to the past. As a result, public health experts at the national levels (in our case, the Federal Republic of Germany) and at the international level (here, the World Health Organization) have restructured and intensified internationally coordinated pandemic planning. This article analyzes, first of all, how pandemic futures were shaped in crisis mode with the help of scenario planning. In a second step, it discusses what measures have been proposed to cope with such risks and to remain capable of acting in anticipation of future catastrophes. Preparedness, not prevention, was the strategy for planning these future pandemic events; specific "cultures of not knowing"were developed to incorporate uncertainty into the planning process, and new structures were built to enable responsivity.
AB - In the 1990s and early 2000s, the emergence of new diseases and the growing awareness of antibiotic resistance brought infectious diseases back into the spotlight as a major threat, challenging the perception that such dangers were confined to the past. As a result, public health experts at the national levels (in our case, the Federal Republic of Germany) and at the international level (here, the World Health Organization) have restructured and intensified internationally coordinated pandemic planning. This article analyzes, first of all, how pandemic futures were shaped in crisis mode with the help of scenario planning. In a second step, it discusses what measures have been proposed to cope with such risks and to remain capable of acting in anticipation of future catastrophes. Preparedness, not prevention, was the strategy for planning these future pandemic events; specific "cultures of not knowing"were developed to incorporate uncertainty into the planning process, and new structures were built to enable responsivity.
KW - Germany
KW - pandemic planning
KW - preparedness
KW - prevention
KW - World Health Organization (who)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105005365741&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/26667711-20241143
DO - 10.1163/26667711-20241143
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105005365741
SP - 1
EP - 30
JO - European Journal for the History of Medicine and Health
JF - European Journal for the History of Medicine and Health
SN - 2666-7703
ER -