Citizen Protection System in the Conditions of Modern Biological Hazards and Pandemics

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the serious threats posed by emerging and re-emerging viral infections of the 21st century (SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, novel influenza strains, Ebola, Zika, Marburg, Nipah, and other zoonotic pathogens) to global public health systems, economic stability, and biological security. The core functions of the civil protection system during pandemics and major epidemics are examined: protecting the population, limiting disease spread, activating rapid response mechanisms, ensuring epidemiological surveillance, effectively organizing quarantine and isolation measures, strengthening sanitary-epidemiological control, and optimizing resource allocation. Research findings confirm the high effectiveness of mask-wearing (53–70 % reduction), the role of physical distancing in breaking transmission chains (~25 % reduction), a 77 % decrease in household virus transmission through regular disinfection, as well as the critical importance of early laboratory diagnostics and real-time monitoring systems in slowing pandemic progression. Practical recommendations are proposed for further improving the civil protection system in the Republic of Uzbekistan: updating the regulatory framework, strengthening intersectoral cooperation between the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Health and other agencies, introducing digital monitoring platforms, and modernizing the public alert system.