ARIA: A WHO/CERN collaboration and the importance of multidisciplinary science-driven policies

<!--HTML-->Alice Simniceanu Epidemiologist, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization (WHO) Abstract: Almost the entire global population (99%) breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits and threatens their health. This represents an estimated 4.2 million deaths globally linked to ambient air pollution, mainly from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. Since 1957, WHO is actively engaged on indoor air quality and, in 2021, the new global quality guideline was published. However, as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic required a rethinking of pathogen transmission mechanisms, our perception and understanding of air quality has changed. My talk will try to describe the major implications of this paradigm shift on future health policies and the importance of multidisciplinary collaborations to inform evidence-based decisions. Finally, we will see the possible impact of ARIA on the current pandemic as well as on the future scientific landscape.