Pandemic Preparedness in Asia

It is not known when, or where, the next deadly infectious disease will emerge, or how it will spread around the world. Are Asian countries prepared for a pandemic? How are National Pandemic Preparedness Plans to be operationalised at the local level? Are there critical gaps in current planning? Which indicators can accurately determine comprehensive pandemic preparedness frameworks? What are the roles of different societal actors and how are they defined? What are the prospects of enhancing regional cooperation in preparing for pandemics and other public health emergencies? These are some of the questions that this monograph aims to address. It does so by bringing together selected papers presented at a conference on Pandemic Preparedness in Asia, held in Singapore in January 2009. The conference was an integral part of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ broader project on understanding and assessing the capacity of states and societies in Asia to manage transnational threats, as well as to contribute to the development of crises-management mechanisms in the region.