Scenario-Based Human Health Risk Assessments | Center for Outbreak Response Innovation

The Importance of Human Health Risk Assessments

The Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI) regularly conducts disease-specific scenario-based risk assessments to evaluate the potential human health risks from various public health threats. These assessments provide a structured approach to understanding complex scenarios, estimating risks, and informing future policy and operational actions, even in the face of incomplete or imperfect data. Each assessment provides a risk score for specific populations, such as unvaccinated individuals, children, healthcare workers, and the general public, while considering factors like transmission pathways, morbidity, mortality, and the current status of the threat. The effectiveness of preventative measures, response efforts, and political influences are also examined, with each assessment updated as new information becomes available to ensure informed decision-making and proactive health outcomes. The current risk assessments include H5N1, measles, and mpox.