Preparing for Future Global Crises

Germany and the World Health Organization's Scenarios of Pandemic Planning Since the 1990s

Authored by

Wiebke Lisner, Jonathan Voges

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.

Details

Organisation(s): History Department
External Organisation(s): Hannover Medical School (MHH)
Type: Article
Journal: European Journal for the History of Medicine and Health
Volume: 82
Pages: 446-475
No. of pages: 30
ISSN: 2666-7703
Publication date: 05.2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: History
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1163/26667711-20241143 (Access: Closed )