• 27 December 2025 marks the 6th observance of the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.

• Event:  International Day of Epidemic Preparedness 2025
• When? December 27, 2025
• 2025 Observance: 6th
• Adoption: UNGA Resolution A/RES/75/27 on 7 December 2020
• First Observed: 27 December 2020

Background:
Adoption: On 7 December 2020, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Resolution A/RES/75/27, officially declaring 27 December as the “International Day of Epidemic Preparedness”, to be observed annually.
First Observance: The International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was first observed on 27 December 2020.
About Epidemics:
Definition: An epidemic occurs when a large number of people or animals are simultaneously affected by the same disease within a specific geographic region.
Examples: The term typically applies to rapidly spreading diseases, such as influenza (flu), malaria (transmitted by insects), and cholera (spread through contaminated water).
Zoonotic Origins: Approximately 60% of human infectious diseases are zoonotic, with 75% of emerging infectious diseases originating from animals.
Impact: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the severe impacts of epidemics on human lives, social systems, and economies, reinforcing the critical importance of preparedness and coordinated global action.
Global Health Collaboration: International institutions, including World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), have established collaborative programs to protect global health.
Global Initiatives:
WHO Hub for Pandemic Intelligence: Founded in September 2021 in Berlin(Germany) with German support, the WHO Hub promotes collaborative surveillance to reduce the impact of pandemics and epidemics.
Flagship Global Health Strategies:

• Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy 2017–2026
• Ending Cholera: A Global Roadmap to 2030
• Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework
• Global Strategy for Influenza 2018–2030

About World Health Organization (WHO):
Director General (DG) – Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Establishment – 1948