This guide was prepared for policy-makers at all levels of government and those who support them, such as technical units, experts and scientific advisory groups and teams responsible for collecting and managing various sources of national and subnational data. The guide is also relevant to the many stakeholders who support evidence-informed policy-making, including academic institutions with expertise in epidemiology, health systems, economics, and social and behavioural sciences
modelling groups
bi- and multilateral agencies
nongovernmental organizations
and funding institutions. The guide starts by describing the complex challenges faced by policy-makers in the context of epidemics and pandemics. Next, it makes a strong case for the adoption of modelling-based approaches to inform policy-making, with an emphasis on integrated models that merge epidemiological and economic considerations in a changing and uncertain environment. The guide concludes by proposing four initiatives that countries can consider to improve the development, refinement and use of integrated models as part of their efforts to strengthen epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response strategies.