Stronger outbreak responses in the Pacific start with locally embedded knowledge

Aleesha Kalulu and Wendy Williams

Published

25 Aug 2026

When a whooping cough outbreak hit Vanuatu in 2025, health workers turned to a simple global target — 7-1-7 — to sharpen their response. The lesson: outbreak tools work best when grounded in locally embedded knowledge.DisclosureThe 7-1-7 work described in this article has been supported through internal Burnet Institute Catalyst funding and a 7-1-7 Alliance Adoption Grant.About the author/sAleesha KaluluAleesha Kalulu is a Research Officer at Burnet Institute with experience in infectious disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and applied research in Pacific Island settings, particularly Vanuatu.Wendy WilliamsWendy Williams is a Senior Research Officer at Burnet Institute with experience in public health surveillance, outbreak response and health research in Vanuatu and the Pacific. Prior to joining Burnet, she worked with the Vanuatu Ministry of Health and The Pacific Community (SPC), supporting surveillance, emergency preparedness and field epidemiology training programs at national and regional levels.