The risk of emergence of novel human pathogens has increased in the past decades. Early detection is becoming even more important due to the potential rapid spread and impact considering the ever increasing size of human and animal populations and their movements all over the globe. The unpredictable nature of emergence of diseases makes surveillance and preparedness a huge challenge. However, recent history has shown that outbreaks of emerging diseases will happen again, and all sectors involved in infectious disease surveillance and response need to be ready to detect and handle the next disease X. It has been argued that the design of infectious disease surveillance and response should therefore move from crisis response to true integration and evaluation of a strategy to detect and control emerging diseases. This involves a One Health approach, integrating not only the human, animal and environmental health sectors, but also social sciences, bioinformatics and more.