Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations UPSC

COALITION OF EPIDEMIC PREPAREDNESS INNOVATIONS

Source: PIB

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Context

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated Asia’s first health research-related "Pre-clinical Network Facility" under the CEPI at the Regional Centre of Biotechnology under the aegis of the "Translational Health Science & Technology Institute" (THSTI), Faridabad.

Details

CEPI has selected BRIC-THSTI as a pre-clinical network laboratory based on its capability to handle BSL3 pathogens.
It will be the 9th such network laboratory across the globe and the first such laboratory in the whole of Asia.
The other labs are located in the USA, Europe and Australia.
The experimental Animal Facility is one of the largest small animal facility in the country with a housing capacity of about 75,000 mice, including immune compromised mice and other species such as rat, rabbit, hamsters, guinea pigs etc.

Translational Health Science and Technology Institute

The Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) is an institute of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC), Department of Biotechnology under Ministry of Science and Technology.
It was set up in 2009 and is located in NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad.
It facilitated the signing of more than a dozen agreements and MoU’s signed with Private sector for Vaccine development and research in Nipah Virus, Influenza and other respiratory diseases.
It will also facilitate innovative and cutting-edge fundamental research in the country, support translational research to test drug and vaccine candidates, identify biomarkers of disease progression/resolution and foster research collaborations across disciplines and professions with connectivity to industry and academia.

CEPI

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is a global partnership formed in 2017 to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic disease threats.
CEPI aims to ensure equitable access to these vaccines and has been instrumental in the fight against emerging infectious diseases.

Mission and Objectives

CEPI's primary mission is to develop vaccines for diseases with epidemic potential and to establish platforms for rapid vaccine development.
One of their key goals is the "100 Days Mission," which seeks to develop safe, effective, and globally accessible vaccines within 100 days of recognizing a new epidemic threat.

Key Achievements and Activities

Vaccine Development: CEPI has supported the development of over 50 vaccine candidates against high-risk pathogens like Lassa fever, Nipah virus, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. Notably, CEPI was a major player in funding and supporting the development of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
Funding and Partnerships: CEPI's initial funding came from countries like Norway, Japan, and Germany, along with significant contributions from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. By 2022, they had raised substantial additional funds to continue their mission. CEPI has also partnered with organizations like the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to boost regional preparedness and response capabilities.
Global Collaboration: CEPI collaborates with various international partners, including governments, research institutions, and the private sector, to enhance global health security. This includes their work with the Gavi Alliance to target future disease outbreaks and improve vaccine distribution logistics.

Recent Initiatives

AI and Vaccine Research: CEPI has funded projects utilizing artificial intelligence to predict and combat viral threats. For example, they have invested in platforms designed to protect against rapidly evolving viruses using AI technology.
Regional Preparedness: In 2024, CEPI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PAHO to enhance epidemic and pandemic preparedness in Latin America and the Caribbean. This collaboration focuses on increasing vaccine development, manufacturing capacity, and improving disease surveillance and response.

Funding Model

CEPI employs innovative funding mechanisms, such as vaccine bonds, to secure and frontload financial commitments from sovereign donors.
These funds are crucial for supporting long-term vaccine development projects and ensuring readiness for future epidemics.

Global Initiatives Related To Pandemic Response

*Initiative*	*Description*	*Key Actions*	*Achievements & Challenges*
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)	CEPI is a global partnership launched in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. It focuses on financing and coordinating the development of vaccines against high-priority public health threats.	- Rapid vaccine development - Equitable vaccine distribution - Collaboration with WHO and other health organizations	- Successfully developed COVID-19 vaccines in record time. - Faces challenges in ensuring equitable vaccine distribution, particularly in low-income countries.
Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA)	GHSA is a group of countries, international organizations, and NGOs launched in 2014 to enhance global health security and prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats.	- Strengthening health systems - Promoting global collaboration - Enhancing disease surveillance	- Improved global disease surveillance and response capabilities. - Coordination among diverse stakeholders remains complex.
Pandemic Fund	Established by the G20, the Pandemic Fund aims to provide financial resources to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capabilities in low- and middle-income countries.	- Fund allocation for health infrastructure - Support for vaccine development and distribution	- Mobilized significant financial resources for pandemic response. - Effectiveness depends on the efficient allocation and utilization of funds.
World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund	A global fund established to support WHO’s work in tracking and understanding the spread of the virus, ensuring patients get the care they need, and providing frontline workers with essential supplies and information.	- Resource mobilization - Supporting healthcare systems - Ensuring supply chains for essential medical supplies	- Played a critical role in funding the global COVID-19 response. - Faced challenges in disbursing funds rapidly and effectively across different regions.
COVAX Facility	COVAX, co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, CEPI, and WHO, is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.	- Vaccine procurement and distribution - Ensuring fair allocation of vaccines globally	- Successfully delivered millions of vaccine doses worldwide. - Struggled with initial vaccine supply shortages and logistical challenges in vaccine distribution.
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria	Although primarily focused on AIDS, TB, and malaria, the Global Fund has integrated pandemic preparedness into its broader health system strengthening efforts.	- Health system strengthening - Supporting countries in pandemic preparedness	- Enhanced health system resilience in many countries. - Faces challenges in balancing pandemic preparedness with its core mission of fighting AIDS, TB, and malaria.
Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF)	Launched by the World Bank, PEF provides surge financing to support response efforts in IDA-eligible countries during outbreaks.	- Quick disbursement of funds - Financial support for outbreak response	- Facilitated rapid response during outbreaks. - Criticized for complex activation criteria and delays in fund disbursement.
G20 Global Health Summit	The G20 Global Health Summit convenes world leaders to discuss and commit to actions on pandemic preparedness and response, emphasizing global solidarity and coordinated actions.	- Political commitments to health security - Financial pledges for pandemic response	- Strengthened international political commitment to pandemic preparedness. - Translating commitments into tangible actions remains a challenge.
United Nations High-Level Meetings (UNHLM)	UNHLMs on pandemic prevention and response gather heads of state to discuss and endorse strategies for global health security, including mechanisms to enhance cooperation and coordination among nations.	- Adoption of political declarations - Establishment of international frameworks for pandemic preparedness	- Promoted global consensus on pandemic response strategies. - Implementation and enforcement of agreed measures can be inconsistent among member states.
Global Health Security Index (GHSI)	GHSI assesses countries' health security and capabilities to handle infectious disease outbreaks, providing a comprehensive benchmarking tool for improving national and global health security.	- Regular assessment and ranking of countries - Identifying gaps in health security capabilities	- Raised awareness of the need for strong health security systems. - Some countries have questioned the accuracy and relevance of the assessments.
ACT-Accelerator	The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.	- Coordinated global efforts for COVID-19 response - Supported research and development of COVID-19 countermeasures	- Facilitated rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. - Ensured access to essential tools, though equitable distribution remains a challenge, especially in low-income countries.

Comparing The Terms Related To Occurrence Of Diseases

*Term*	*Definition*	*Characteristics*	*Examples*
Pandemic	A global outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population.	- Widespread across multiple countries or continents - High transmission rates - Significant impact on global health and economies	COVID-19 (2019-present), Spanish Flu (1918-1919), HIV/AIDS (1981-present)
Epidemic	A sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area.	- Confined to a specific region or community - Short-term, but may be severe - Can potentially become a pandemic	Ebola in West Africa (2014-2016), SARS in Asia (2002-2003), Cholera in Haiti (2010)
Outbreak	The occurrence of cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographical area, or season.	- More localized than an epidemic - Sudden onset - Can develop into an epidemic if not controlled	Legionnaires' disease in Philadelphia (1976), Measles outbreak in Disneyland (2014-2015)
Endemic	The constant presence and/or usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area.	- Stable transmission rates - Long-term presence in a specific area - Predictable patterns of occurrence	Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dengue fever in Southeast Asia
Hyperendemic	Persistent, high levels of disease occurrence.	- Higher-than-expected endemic levels - Continuous presence at high incidence - Often seen in diseases with seasonal spikes	Hepatitis B in certain parts of Africa and Asia
Cluster	An aggregation of cases grouped in place and time that are suspected to be greater than the number expected.	- Localized grouping - Can indicate an outbreak - Requires investigation to determine cause	Cancer clusters in certain areas potentially linked to environmental factors
Sporadic	Cases of disease occurring singly, scattered, or isolated.	- Irregular and infrequent occurrence - Cases are isolated - No apparent connection between cases	Cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Major Pandemics And Epidemics Throughout History

*Year*	*Pandemic/Epidemic*	*Pathogen*	*Estimated Death Toll*	*Geographic Impact*	*Notes*
165-180	Antonine Plague	Unknown (possibly smallpox)	5 million	Roman Empire	Spread by returning Roman soldiers; significantly weakened the Roman military.
541-542	Plague of Justinian	Yersinia pestis	25-50 million	Byzantine Empire, Mediterranean	Considered the first recorded pandemic of bubonic plague.
1347-1351	Black Death	Yersinia pestis	75-200 million	Europe, Asia, North Africa	One of the deadliest pandemics in human history; significantly altered European society.
1520	Cocoliztli Epidemic	Viral hemorrhagic fever	15 million	Mexico	Devastated the indigenous population after the Spanish conquest.
1665-1666	Great Plague of London	Yersinia pestis	75,000-100,000	London, England	Last major outbreak of bubonic plague in England.
1817-1824	First Cholera Pandemic	Vibrio cholerae	Unknown	Asia, Europe, North America	Originated in India; spread along trade routes.
1889-1890	Russian Flu	H2N2 Influenza virus	1 million	Worldwide	First significant influenza pandemic of the modern era.
1918-1919	Spanish Flu	H1N1 Influenza virus	50-100 million	Worldwide	Infected one-third of the world's population; most severe influenza pandemic.
1957-1958	Asian Flu	H2N2 Influenza virus	1-2 million	Worldwide	Originated in East Asia; first identified in Singapore.
1968-1969	Hong Kong Flu	H3N2 Influenza virus	1-4 million	Worldwide	Originated in Hong Kong; primarily affected the elderly.
1981-present	HIV/AIDS	Human Immunodeficiency Virus	36 million (to date)	Worldwide	Continues to be a significant global health issue.
2002-2003	SARS	SARS-CoV	774	Asia, North America, Europe	First identified in China; caused severe acute respiratory syndrome.
2009-2010	Swine Flu	H1N1 Influenza virus	151,700-575,400	Worldwide	A novel strain of H1N1; primarily affected younger populations.
2012-present	MERS	MERS-CoV	858	Middle East, Worldwide	Primarily transmitted from camels to humans; causes severe respiratory illness.
2014-2016	Ebola Epidemic	Ebola Virus	11,325	West Africa	Largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease; primarily affected Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
2019-present	COVID-19	SARS-CoV-2	6.9 million (to date)	Worldwide	Global pandemic; caused widespread societal and economic disruptions.

Must read articles on India's vaccine diplomacy:

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/indias-health-diplomacy-and-indias-pharma-sector

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-editorials/daily-news-editorial-analysis-ii6-september-2023iistrategies-of-vaccine-diplomacy

Sources:

PIB

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q: Consider the following statements regarding the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI):

CEPI is an international non-profit organization launched in Davos in 2017.
CEPI primarily focuses on developing vaccines for diseases that are currently causing widespread outbreaks, such as influenza and measles.
CEPI's funding comes from a coalition of governments, foundations, and private sector entities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, and 3

Answer: b)