World Health Organization has sounded the alarm on the next potential pandemic – which could be spread by insects. On Thursday, the WHO launched the Global Arbovirus Initiative in an effort to implement an “integrated strategic plan to tackle emerging and re-emerging arboviruses with epidemic and pandemic potential focusing on monitoring risk,

pandemic prevention, preparedness, detection and response, and building a coalition of partners.” The WHO warns that risks of a new insect-borne outbreak is “increasing.” “The next pandemic could, very likely, be due to a new arbovirus,” Dr. Sylvie Briand – director of the global infectious hazard preparedness team at the WHO – said on Thursday.

“And we also have some signals that the risk is increasing.” Arboviruses are also known as arthropod-borne viruses – which means pathogens that are spread by arthropods that feed on blood like mosquitoes, ticks, sand flies, and midges.

‘We have been through two years of Covid-19 pandemic and we have learned the hard way what [it costs] not to be enough prepared for high impact events,’ Dr. Sylvie Briand, director of the Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness team at the WHO, said at a briefing on Thursday.

‘We had [a] signal with Sars in 2003 and the experience of the influenza 2009 pandemic – but there were still gaps in our preparedness. ‘The next pandemic could, very likely, be due to a new arbovirus. And we also have some signals that the risk is increasing.’ She was speaking at the launch of the WHO’s new Global Arbovirus Initiative, which aims to bring together work to tackle insect-borne threats under one roof.