Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what preparations his Department is making for currently unknown pathogens that could emerge in future.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has a comprehensive epidemic intelligence system to detect, assess, and communicate infectious health threats to the United Kingdom. Horizon scanning and intelligence gathering functions are designed to identify and monitor outbreaks, even when the cause is unknown, such as in the World Health Organization’s hypothetical "Disease X" scenario. Robust risk assessment processes are also in place to implement effective mitigation strategies, ensuring the protection of public health.

For diseases of pandemic potential, the UKHSA’s Centre for Pandemic Preparedness (CPP) works to identify gaps in preparedness and opportunities to enhance readiness. The CPP also serves as the UK secretariat for the 100 Days Mission, a global initiative which aims to ensure that safe and effective diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines can be equitably deployed within the first 100 days of a pandemic.

Further information on the Government’s ambition to protect the UK and ensure it is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats is set out in the Biological Security Strategy, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-biological-security-strategy