Environmentally sustainably disease outbreak response plan developed and implemented.

% of area that remains without the negative effects of biological hazards (physical and biological)

# of laboratories with environmentally sustainable procurement procedures being implemented.

# of laboratories with effective recycling and general and laboratory waste procedures in place and implemented

# of laboratories with effective recycling and general and laboratory waste procedures in place and implemented

Do you have an environmentally sustainable disease outbreak response plan developed and implemented?

Do you have effective Infection Prevention and Control measures in place that include the assessment of environmental disease drivers and vectors?

Do you have effective environmentally sustainable laboratory equipment and materials procurement procedures in place and being actively implemented?

Do you have effective laboratory waste separation, recycling, and management procedures in place and being actively implemented?

Copy of disease outbreak response plan

Monitor the implementation of Infection Prevention and Control measures

Policy review and implementation monitoring

Policy review and implementation monitoring

• The nature of humanitarian crises has gradually become more protracted, unpredictable, and complex. Crises are increasingly exacerbated by factors such as climate change, environmental degradation, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, and by the overlaps between disasters, conflict, and fragile situations. The humanitarian community needs to adjust its practices and tools in order to provide a more effective early response (DG ECHO). Although their causes can be different, the result of environmental degradation can be the same as that of climate-related hazards, and they can be made more severe by climate change. For example, climate change can increase temperature and weather extremes which can affect disease spread. Similarly, deforestation, livestock and agriculture activities, population density, urbanisation, wet markets, can all directly affect the spread of disease. Outbreak preparedness should always consider the environment. The main objective of an outbreak preparedness plan is to protect lives and the environment by reducing the incidence and severity of hazards and the potential impacts on people.

• Implement infection prevention and control measures at all levels of healthcare according to risk. Take into account the environmental impacts of such measures, such as pesticides which can contaminate soil and water - use alternative methods when possible. Assess disease vectors and plan the least environmentally damaging methods of control. Include an assessment of negative impacts on other beneficial organisms, including plants, insects, and soil biota. The chemicals and biological agents used to control vectors are sourced from substances that have a broad and largely indiscriminate impact on the environment to ones that have limited and sometimes very targeted impacts on specific species, or stages of species development. The use of chemicals should be avoided where there are safe viable alternatives. Where chemicals are used, the most up-to-date chemicals or biological agents should be used even if older supplies are available at low or no cost and when possible, the main emphasis should be minimising the use of chemical controls. Where chemical controls have to be applied, provide guidance for their application to minimise undesirable impacts.