Many countries struggle to handle public health emergencies, and the COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in disease tracking and monitoring systems.
These challenges are even greater in the Pacific due to a shortage of healthcare workers and facilities, as well as the difficulty of reaching remote, dispersed communities.
The 7-1-7 tool helps countries respond to disease outbreaks faster. It sets clear goals to find an outbreak in seven days or less, report it to the relevant authorities within one day, and take early action to control it in less than seven days.
Burnet is working with its partners in the Pacific region to see how the 7-1-7 approach can work alongside existing processes by trialling the tool in collaboration with the Vanuatu Government.
