The new sub-working group will strengthen disease surveillance, information sharing and coordinated outbreak preparedness among BRICS countries.

BRICS countries are advancing plans for an Integrated Early Warning System for Mass Infectious Disease, with a dedicated sub-working group tasked with taking the initiative forward under the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit on Sept. 12-13. The initiative is intended to strengthen disease surveillance, early warning, information sharing and coordinated preparedness and response across member countries.

Sub-working group advances existing initiative

The early warning system has been under development within the BRICS health track since 2024. The initiative emerged as a priority during Russia's BRICS chairship, when members began work on cooperation focused on preventing and responding to mass infectious disease outbreaks.

India continued the initiative during its 2026 BRICS chairship, making the integrated early warning system one of nine health priorities. At the July BRICS Health Ministers Meeting in Chandigarh, ministers backed the creation of a dedicated sub-working group and endorsed its terms of reference.

An April 2026 BRICS meeting on the integrated early warning system also focused on developing cooperation and laying the groundwork for the mechanism.

Focus shifts to surveillance and response

The New Delhi declaration links the initiative to the cross-border nature of infectious disease outbreaks, zoonotic threats and antimicrobial resistance. It calls for stronger surveillance systems, effective early warning mechanisms and greater preparedness and response capacity.

The declaration also recognises the role of the World Health Organization and the International Health Regulations (2005) in coordinating international action on public health emergencies. It calls for timely information sharing and coordinated action among countries.

The sub-working group is intended to provide a dedicated mechanism for BRICS members to continue that cooperation. Its work is expected to support information exchange and coordination as countries strengthen their ability to identify and respond to emerging infectious disease threats.

Broader health cooperation

The early warning initiative forms part of a wider BRICS health agenda covering disease surveillance, medical products, digital health and public Health institutions.

The New Delhi Declaration calls for stronger cooperation among BRICS medical products regulatory authorities and supports extending an existing regulatory cooperation framework across all member countries. It also highlights digital health systems, public health, laboratories, national public health institutes and collaborative research.

Together, the measures broaden the BRICS health agenda beyond disease surveillance to include preparedness, health infrastructure, digital systems and access to essential medical products.  The proposed system is intended to improve how BRICS countries detect, share information about and coordinate responses to infectious disease threats that cross national borders.

The declaration does not specify a launch date or a common technical architecture for the integrated early warning system. Its immediate institutional step is the dedicated sub-working group tasked with advancing the initiative.