Beyond the Silos: Why the World Health Assembly Must Reimagine How We Fight Infectious Diseases

By the Infectious Disease Alliance (IDA)

When we look at the state of global health today, the statistics are staggering: 3.7 billion people currently lack adequate infectious disease services. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is accelerating at an alarming rate, and the threat of the next global pandemic looms larger than ever.

We know the threats. We have the medical science to combat them. So why are we still falling behind?

Across the 13 specialized committees of the Infectious Disease Alliance (IDA), our global experts have reached a clear and unified consensus: The primary barrier to global health progress is no longer just the diseases themselves. It is the systemic fragmentation of how we fight them.

As global leaders and Member States gather in Geneva for the World Health Assembly (WHA), it is time to confront an uncomfortable truth. Business-as-usual has failed.

The Problem with "Disease-Specific" Silos

For decades, the global health architecture has treated diseases in isolation. We build one program for a specific virus, another for a specific bacteria, and yet another for pandemic preparedness.

But infectious disease risks, delivery systems, and health outcomes do not exist in silos—they are deeply interconnected. Whether it is an endemic neglected tropical disease, a novel vector-borne virus, or an AMR infection, these threats strike the exact same vulnerable populations and overwhelm the exact same local health clinics.

Currently, our Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR), and global financing agendas are not sufficiently aligned. This siloed funding creates massive inefficiencies on the ground and prevents long-term health system strengthening.

A New Blueprint for Global Health Security

The IDA is calling on WHA Member States to fundamentally shift how infectious disease policies are designed and funded. To achieve true health equity and global security, we must move from fragmented programs to shared, integrated systems.

This requires three critical shifts in policy:

1. Aligning UHC, PPPR, and Financing We must align our global frameworks around shared system capacities. Funding should not just target a single pathogen; it should build resilient health infrastructure capable of handling the full spectrum of communicable diseases.

2. Centering Primary Healthcare Primary healthcare cannot be an afterthought. It must be explicitly placed at the very center of integrated infectious disease service delivery. Strong primary care is the first line of defense against both daily endemic burdens and sudden pandemic outbreaks.

3. Empowering Community Leadership Top-down approaches are not enough. We must invest in community-level systems and health literacy. Local communities must remain central to both the planning and the implementation of health interventions.

The Cost of Inaction

The evidence demands action now. We cannot continue to treat interconnected crises with fragmented solutions. The cost of inaction will be measured in lives lost to preventable diseases and health systems collapsing under the weight of the next pandemic.

As delegates deliberate at the WHA, they cannot settle for vague declarations. Member States must leave Geneva with concrete, time-bound commitments to integration, health equity, and community leadership.

The systems of the past will not protect us from the threats of the future. It is time to tear down the silos and build a unified defense.

The Infectious Disease Alliance stands ready to support Member States in translating these vital commitments into action.

WHA Policy Statement.docx.pdf

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