Imagining Future Pandemics: A Foresight Exercise

Overview

The future is inherently uncertain, and while we hope to avoid another pandemic, hope alone is not a strategy. To ensure we are better prepared, it is important to proactively explore plausible futures through structured foresight exercises.

The PRET Foresight Exercise is a participatory and interactive tool designed to prepare diverse stakeholders for a range of possible public health crises. It presents four carefully constructed scenarios:

1. A respiratory influenza virus
2. The emergence of an antibiotic resistant bacteria
3. The spread and mutation of vector-borne diseases
4. The emergence of a new pathogen and other viruses

The exercise helps participants to think critically and holistically about different plausible futures and potential challenges, and to recognize and address blind spots in planning. Stakeholders from diverse sectors engage in interactive discussions, fostering innovative ideas that can be implemented within their organizations. 

To request the exercise package, kindly complete the request form available here. For further information about the PRET foresight exercise, feel free to reach out to us at pret@who.int.