Written question WQ94721
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
What preparation is the Welsh Government making for future unexpected new diseases, given that the Climate Adaptation Strategy for Wales acknowledges that climate change increases the risk of diseases of animal origin, however none of the Welsh Government actions outlined in the strategy mention the possibility of a future pandemic?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The Climate Adaptation Strategy recognises the importance of taking a ‘One Health’ approach to addressing the interrelationships between human, animal, and planetary health, which may be affected by climate change. Relevant outcomes and actions are indicated within the sections of the Strategy that set out ‘Our Adaptation Action Plan for Agriculture’ and our ‘Adaptation Action Plan for Health and Wellbeing’.
The Chief Medical Officer’s Health Protection Advisory Group has a well-established One Health sub-group, chaired by the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales. The group brings together expertise from across human, animal and planetary health policy areas to consider and provide leadership oversight of three priorities: antimicrobial resistance, surveillance and pandemic preparedness and response. This work increases our resilience and ability to prevent, detect and respond to known, emerging and zoonotic health threats through a whole system approach.
The NHS and UK public health agencies have well-tested response capabilities to detect, contain and treat novel infectious diseases, which have been recently used to respond to the risk from Mpox and Marburg Virus Disease. My officials are taking an “all hazards” approach to planning for disease outbreaks, including working with UK and devolved Governments to develop 4-nations Pandemic Response Plans to respond to new and emerging threats.