Advancing Epidemic Prediction and Forecasting: A New US Government Initiative

Introduction The National Science and Technology Council, within the Executive Office of the President, established the Pandemic Prediction and Forecasting Science and Technology (PPFST) Working Group in 2013. The PPFST Working Group supports the US Predict the Next Pandemic Initiative, and serves as a forum to accelerate the development of federal infectious disease outbreak prediction and forecasting capabilities. Priorities include identification, evaluation, and integration of disparate biosurveillance and other data streams for prediction/forecasting; characterization of the decision context for US Government use of prediction/forecasting models; and development of a common US Government vision for federal prediction/forecasting capabilities. The Working Group comprises 18 federal departments and agencies, as well as the National Security Council, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and Office of Management and Budget. OSTP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense chair the Working Group.