The initiative, known as NAVIS, is a natural history study that will examine transmission dynamics, incubation periods, immune responses and drivers of severe illness through the follow-up of exposed individuals.
The study is being implemented using a harmonised protocol developed by Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Spain, designed for rapid deployment during health emergencies. It follows an emergency consultation coordinated by the United Kingdom (UK) Health Security Agency through the Hantavirus Collaborative Open Research Consortium, which mobilised more than 1 600 experts globally.
Yper Hall of the UK Health Security Agency said rapid evidence generation is central to effective outbreak response.
“Closing gaps in our scientific knowledge is key to the development of medical countermeasures, and through international coordination we ensure this is accelerated,” Hall said. “Preparedness, therefore, must include the ability to rapidly generate scientific evidence during outbreaks, not only respond to them.”
The initiative is supported by ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases under the European Union (EU)-funded BE READY programme, with coordination aimed at ensuring standardised data collection across countries.
Yazdan Yazdanpanah of ANRS-MIE said the speed of implementation demonstrates the value of pre-established research networks.
“The rapid launch of NAVIS across 21 countries shows what is possible when research networks are established before outbreaks occur,” Yazdanpanah said.
The study will also draw on the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium framework to support consistent data and sample collection during the outbreak.
World Health Organisation Chief Scientist Sylvie Briand said the initiative reflects a shift in how outbreak research should be conducted.
“Scientific evidence generation during outbreaks must become operational, coordinated, and immediately deployable,” Briand said.
“Future outbreak responses should begin by activating research systems that already exist rather than trying to build them during crises.”
–WHO/ChannelAfrica–
