Building a robust interface between public health authorities and medical institutions in a densely populated city: State-of-the-art integrated pandemic and emerging disease preparedness in the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan

ABSTRACT

Enhanced global travel networks have heightened the risk of emerging infectious diseases escalating into pandemics in a short time. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 reminded us of the importance of peacetime efforts to establish a basis for responding to a pandemic. Kawasaki City, one of the government-designated cities in the Greater Tokyo area in Japan, has made continuous efforts to reinforce preparedness and response capacity for emerging diseases. City authorities have sought to enhance communication and foster trust between the public health authority and medical institutions through a real-time information sharing system. The City has built trustworthy relationships with multiple stakeholders through various forms of joint exercises. Kawasaki City has also effectively developed a human resource development program, the “Field Epidemiology Training Program-Kawasaki (FETP-K), " that collaborates closely with the national FETP. This chapter introduces the details of a series of activities and lessons for reinforcing pandemic and emerging disease preparedness in urban areas in Japan. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.