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Respiratory pathogen outbreaks pose potentially catastrophic threats to global health, societies, and economies. While their emergence is often unpredictable, the effectiveness of early interventions critically determines whether localized outbreaks escalate to pandemics. This paper provides an evidence-based framework for the critical first 2-3 weeks of outbreak management, synthesizing lessons from historical epidemics, including COVID-19. We analyze the cascade of essential public health and social measures (PHSMs) that should be deployed immediately following threat detection and verification. Our integrated approach addresses surveillance systems, risk communication strategies, healthcare capacity adaptation, and vulnerable population protection. We emphasize that early, coordinated interventions can significantly reduce transmission while a proportionate escalation strategy balances health protection against social and economic disruptions. This framework is designed to support emergency responders in field settings where detailed pathogen information may be initially limited, offering a practical roadmap for preventing localized outbreaks from evolving into global health emergencies. See more