Emerging Infectious Diseases represent a continual challenge to global health, driven by pathogen evolution, ecological disruption, human mobility, and changing immune landscapes. Novel and re-emerging pathogens test the limits of surveillance, clinical response, and immunological preparedness. This session examines how immune mechanisms, pathogen adaptation, and population-level factors converge to shape emergence, spread, and control of infectious threats.

At the forefront of emergence is the dynamic interaction between pathogens and host immunity. Zoonotic spillover, antigenic drift, and immune escape can enable pathogens to establish transmission in new populations. These dynamics are central topics at major Immunology Conferences, where investigators analyze host–pathogen interfaces, innate immune barriers, and adaptive responses that determine susceptibility and severity. This session highlights how immune profiling and mechanistic studies inform early risk assessment and guide countermeasure development.

A closely connected focus is novel pathogen outbreaks, which demand rapid characterization of immune responses to inform diagnostics, therapeutics, and prevention. Understanding early immune signatures, correlates of protection, and cross-reactive immunity is critical when time-sensitive decisions must be made. This session explores how advances in immunological assays, genomics, and data integration accelerate response timelines and reduce uncertainty during the earliest phases of emergence.

Beyond biology, emerging infectious diseases reflect broader system pressures, including land-use change, climate variability, urbanization, and global travel. Immune vulnerability at the population level—shaped by prior exposure, vaccination coverage, nutrition, and comorbidities—modulates outbreak impact. The session addresses how integrating immunology with ecology, epidemiology, and health systems planning improves preparedness and resilience. Emphasis is placed on adaptive strategies that evolve alongside pathogens rather than relying on static assumptions.

Participants engaging with this session will gain insights into immune determinants of emergence, translational pathways from discovery to action, and future-facing approaches to preparedness. The knowledge shared supports anticipatory public health planning, strengthens cross-sector collaboration, and advances immune-informed responses to the infectious threats of tomorrow.