Yot Teerawattananon
1,2 
, Saudamini Vishwanath Dabak
1* , Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai
1,3 , Thongchai Lertwilairatanapong
4, Asrul Akmal Shafie
5 , Auliya A. Suwantika
6 , Cecilia Oh
7, Jaruayporn Srisasalux
8, Nopporn Cheanklin
81 Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
2 Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
3 Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
4 Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
5 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
6 Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia.
7 HIV, Health and Development Team, United Nations Development Programme, Bangkok, Thailand.
8 Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought the need for regional collaboration on disease prevention and control to the fore. The review by Durrance-Bagale et al offers insights on the enablers, barriers and lessons learned from the experience of various regional initiatives. Translating these lessons into action, however, remains a challenge. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) planned to establish a regional centre for disease control; however, many factors have slowed the realisation of these efforts. Going forward, regional initiatives should be able to address the complexity of emerging infectious diseases through a One Health approach, assess the social and economic impact of diseases on the region and study the real-world effectiveness of regional collaborations. The initiatives should seek to be inclusive of stakeholders including those from the private sector and should identify innovative measures for financing. This advancement will enable regions such as ASEAN to effectively prepare for the next pandemic.