Life is full of uncertainties. Humankind faces droves of natural and humanmade disasters, urging the need for strong public health preparedness for effective intervention. In the realm of public health, disasters are considered ecological disruptions that result in deaths, injuries, illness or damage that cannot be effectively managed by the application of routine procedures or resources.

Besides, they could be emergencies (any occurrence that requires an immediate response); hazards (caused by a natural phenomenon); incidents (a natural or human-made event requesting a response to protect life or property); or natural disasters (a rapid, sudden phenomenon with profound effects). Thus, action should be taken in a multi-pronged approach where jurisdictions, agencies and authorities might be involved to prevent injury, illness or death.

Globally, there has been a recognition of the peril of biological and chemical threats as well as epidemics. Accordingly, in response to these concerns, countries should exert their efforts to bolster public health preparedness to ensure public safety. An array of preparedness plans to minimise morbidity and mortality are crucial and require securing funding, mechanisms for surge capacity, including ongoing assessments of needs, identification of alternate triage and treatment sites, workforce training and psychosocial support of the public.

How close we live to biological threats is now obvious in the era of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In Ethiopia, the government has taken disaster relief measures. They have been tied to a multitude of activities in leadership, communication and managing information, planning for and improving practices, protecting worker health and safety to minimise social disruption and economic losses.

Public health preparedness has been necessitated because of the devastating consequences of healthcare systems becoming paralysed. Accordingly, the Office of the Prime Minister along with sector offices were responsible for sketching the strategy, while the Health Ministry has been responsible for implementing the action plan, coordinating across the government as needed, and reporting to the Prime Minister. The planning and finance ministries have been accountable for overseeing budget allocations and working with the Health Ministry to direct funds to priority areas.

Given the limits on the government’s resources, it was essential to use public finances in a way that delivered the greatest impact possible - and that was a difficult prospect. Hence, landmark calls for collaboration, coordination and cooperation – the three Cs – among the regional and federal governments. Communication strategies for risk-reduction behaviours, including social distancing, hand washing and “respiratory etiquette,” were noticeably carried out uniformly with a single voice. This pandemic has also opened the eyes of each sector to the need for personal protective equipment, medical supplies and pharmaceutical supplies.