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The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Saturday (December 26) that the COVID-19 crisis will not be the last pandemic and that all the steps taken to improve human health they are “doomed” if the world community does not address climate change. and animal welfare.
In a video message marking the first International Epidemic Preparedness Day on Sunday, Chief Tedros also condemned the “dangerously short-sighted” cycle of throwing cash at outbreaks but doing nothing to prepare for the next.
The United Nations General Assembly called for the International Day of Preparedness for Epidemics to promote the importance of prevention, preparedness and partnerships to address epidemics.
The WHO director general said it was time to learn the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic. “For too long, the world has operated in a cycle of panic and neglect … We throw money at one outbreak, and when it ends, we forget it and do nothing to prevent the next. This is dangerously short-sighted, and frankly difficult to understand. “, said.
“History tells us that this will not be the last pandemic, and epidemics are a fact of life … The pandemic has highlighted the intimate links between the health of humans, animals and the planet … Any effort to improve human health is doomed “unless they address the critical human-animal interface, and the existential threat of climate change that is making our earth less livable,” Tedros said.
In another grim milestone, the total number of global coronavirus cases has passed the 80 million mark, while deaths have risen to more than 1.75 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The United States is the most affected country with the highest number of cases and deaths in the world with 18,943,541 and 331,754, respectively, according to the CSSE.
“In the last 12 months, our world has been turned upside down. The impacts of the pandemic go far beyond the disease itself, with far-reaching consequences for societies and economies,” said Tedros.
Tedros said that all countries must invest in preparedness capacities to prevent, detect and mitigate emergencies of all kinds, and called for greater primary health care.
