Recommendations Biosecurity

The next pandemic is only a matter of time. To prevent and fight epidemics and pandemics, Switzerland needs versatile and complementary tools. Switzerland has what it takes to position itself as a leader in pathogen surveillance. Investing in pandemic preparedness is worthwhile because it reduces high societal and economic losses.

Pour Demain's recommendations for biosecurity take into account the entire chain of

action: Prevent → Detect → Respond

Prevent epidemics and pandemics (Prevent)

• Solid planning: The federal government's pandemic scenarios are based on international best practices and are not too optimistic, especially the worst-case scenario.

• Animal-human interface: Switzerland is internationally committed to reducing production practices that are linked to disease outbreaks. The national surveillance of animal diseases will be strengthened.

• Cooperate internationally: Funding for international pandemic prevention should become an integral part of the Epidemics Act and will be independent of development cooperation (e.g. CEPI, GARDP). Switzerland supports the WHO and the WHO accord on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response as a leading actor. 

• Global health remains a focus of international cooperation, as strong health systems in the poorest countries also protect Switzerland.

• Implement capacity building program for biosecurity and biosafety: Switzerland is launching a training program to support capacity building in countries with increased biological risks.

• Strengthen Biological Weapons Convention: Additional staff foster the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva, which monitors biological weapons.

• Increase laboratory safety: Switzerland strengthens safety laboratories, similar to the safety culture in aviation (in particular through unannounced audits at least every two years, transparent reporting of incidents, and personnel security checks).

Detect pathogens (Detect)

• Institutionalize wastewater monitoring: Continue monitoring of potentially pandemic pathogens in wastewater and expand beyond SARS-CoV-2 to include other pathogens (based on the SARS-CoV-2 monitoring and research project; see Pour Demain study on early pandemic detection). 

• Systematic sequencing: Pathogens from wastewater, hospitals and medical facilities should be systematically sequenced. To this end, Switzerland is launching a national sequencing program for the early detection and monitoring of pathogens with high pandemic or public health potential (e.g. based on the national SARS-CoV-2 monitoring program).

• Promote clinical reporting systems: Syndromic surveillance of pathogens through hospitals and clinics should be developed (for instance, rapid adaptation of the reporting form to new pathogens, foster hospital surveillance, expand number of reporting physicians).

• Institutionalize genomic data platform: Switzerland has a genomic data platform in place for the long term (e.g. Swiss Pathogen Surveillance Platform).

• Ensure electronic data input: Electronic reports on pathogens replace email/fax. The epidemiological data processing is improved.

• Enable pathogen-agnostic screening: Pathogen-agnostic technologies, such as metagenomic sequencing, have a great potential for the most effective screening of pathogens and should be enhanced.

• Monitor strategic sites: Pathogens often spread at hubs such as airports, tourist sites, retirement homes or hospitals. Therefore, Switzerland should examine the benefits of monitoring at strategic locations (e.g. voluntary tests, airplane waste water).

• International surveillance and response: Switzerland ensures that it has access to the epidemiological data of its neighbour states in normal situations and that cooperation is guaranteed in crisis (e.g. access to the European Early Warning and Response System, transfer of patients with EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority).

Respond

• Regularly rehearse crisis: Pandemics will continue to be regularly rehearsed with the involvement of all federal levels (e.g. including the Swiss Security Network).

• Guarantee crisis organization: The Confederation and the cantons strengthen crisis organization and cooperation with the help of a clear and centralized management organization. 

• Secure hospital capacities: Civilian and military hospital capacities are regularly analysed for pandemic scenarios and published (e.g. number of intensive care units).

• Simplify vaccination admission: In exceptional cases, Switzerland can approve vaccines such as medicines without an application from the manufacturer, as long as they have already been approved in other Western countries. 

• Clean the air: Critical infrastructures install air purification systems to remain functional in a pandemic (e.g., HEPA14 filters or, in the future, Long UV-C).

• Security of supply: The federal government and the cantons regularly verify the availability of the prescribed protective material in good quality in stock and report accordingly. Production and supply chains are prepared for trade disruptions.

• Establish cohort studies: With the help of a cohort as a research platform, Switzerland can quickly conduct studies on novel pathogens.

Recommendations Biosecurity 2023.pdf

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