Strengthening Africa’s pandemic readiness through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework

South Sudan: from one machine to a national system

In 2019, a single polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine arrived in South Sudan, a country rebuilding after decades of conflict. This was more than a piece of laboratory equipment. It marked the beginning of a functioning national influenza surveillance system, made possible through the PIP Framework.

With funding from the PIP Partnership Contribution (PC), South Sudan established six sentinel surveillance sites and tested more than 4000 samples in just two years. Ninety health professionals were trained to detect, diagnose, and report influenza, strengthening capacity in one of the region's most complex public health environments. The country began submitting virological data to FluNet and drafted its first national pandemic preparedness plan-key steps toward integrating influenza surveillance into routine public health functions.

As the South Sudan Influenza Surveillance Team noted, "Regular reporting of virological data and the development of a draft pandemic preparedness plan show significant progress in strengthening the country's surveillance system."

South Sudan's journey is remarkable, but it echoes a much broader transformation underway across the African Region.

A continent rewritten

Fifteen years ago, when the PIP Framework was established, influenza surveillance in much of Africa was fragmented, with overstretched laboratories and limited capacity to connect local data to global health intelligence. PIP PC funding set out to change that.

Today, thanks in large part to the PIP PC, 35 countries have established influenza sentinel surveillance, 33 report virological data to FluNet, and 15 submit epidemiological information to FluID. Seventeen National Influenza Centres (NICs) are recognized and fully operational, and 26 Member States have achieved a perfect score in the WHO External Quality Assessment Project-a sign of strengthened laboratory performance and region-wide commitment to quality.

Building expertise has also been a priority. Fifty-six public health professionals from Madagascar, Guinea, Cameroon, Togo and Burkina Faso have been trained in the Pandemic Influenza Severity Assessment (PISA) framework. This training helps national teams set thresholds that enable interpretation of surveillance signals more effectively and translation into decisions that save lives.

This progress proved critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. Laboratories, trained personnel and established data pipelines strengthened complemented national efforts and enabled countries to adapt quickly to an entirely new pathogen. The region's influenza infrastructure became an essential foundation for COVID-19 detection and response.

Ready before the storm

Preparedness depends not only on detection capacity but also on planning. Through the PIP Framework and WHO's Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats approach, 24 African countries have developed National Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plans, with 15 now at an advanced drafting stage. Three countries are going further by developing National Deployment and Vaccination Plans for future pandemic vaccines.

Fifteen years-one promise kept

The PIP Framework was built on a simple promise: that the world's most vulnerable countries would not face future pandemics alone. In the African Region, that promise has been honored-laboratory by laboratory, health worker by health worker, and country by country.

Collective action through the PIP Framework has not only strengthened surveillance systems; it has expanded what is possible for pandemic preparedness on the continent. Africa is better equipped to detect threats, respond rapidly and protect communities. The next pandemic will come, but the region is stronger and more resilient because of sustained investment through the PIP Framework.