Anually: yearly, December 27.
The International Day of Epidemic Preparedness takes place annually on 27 December. This is a day declared by the United Nations. The day was established through resolution A/75/L.18.
The day is there to draw attention to the importance of prevention and pandemic preparedness. These are lessons that could already be learned during the pandemic itself. Even at the time when it was not yet clear what the outcome would be.
COVID-19 pandemic
This day cannot be separated from the COVID-19 pandemic. That information is therefore emphatic on the website on the subject offered by the United Nations (UN). This day came into being during the pandemic, as the resolution was adopted on 7 December 2020.
Fifth deadliest pandemic
Throughout history, the world has faced several pandemics. The most recent was the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic began in 2019 and was ended by the WHO on 5 May 2023. This, by the way, did not eliminate COVID-19. This pandemic became the sixth deadliest pandemic in world history. The top five deadliest pandemics are as follows:
- The Black Death (bubonic plague) – between 75 and 200 million deaths in the period between 1346 and 1353 in Europe, Asia and North Africa. A rate of between 17% and 54% of the world’s population.
- The Spanish Flu (influenza A/H1N1) – between 17 and 100 million deaths worldwide in the period between 1918 and 1920. A rate between 1 and 5.4% of the world’s population.
Plague of Justinian (bubonic plague) – between 15 and 100 million deaths in the period between 541 and 549 in North Africa, Europe and West Asia. A rate between 25 and 60% of the world’s population.
HIV/AIDS – 43 million deaths as of 2024 worldwide since 1981.
- COVID-19 – between 7 – 36.6 million deaths worldwide as of December 2023. A rate between 0.1 and 0.46% of the world’s population.
A more comprehensive overview can be found at this link.
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