Tedros Ghebreyesus said the threat of the emergence of another variant causing a new surge in disease and death remains, as does the threat of another pathogen with more deadly potential
Published Date – Thu, 25 May 23 at 06:00 AM
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Photo: IANS
Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned all countries to prepare for the next pandemic that could be “deadlier” than the coronavirus.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently declared that the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer a public health emergency, but he stressed that the downgrade does not mean it is no longer a global health threat.
“The threat of the emergence of another variant leading to another surge in disease and death remains, and the threat of the emergence of another pathogen with more lethal potential remains,” he said in a speech to the 76th World Health Assembly on Monday.
Covid-19 may no longer be a global public health emergency, but countries must still step up their response to the disease and prepare for future pandemics and other threats in order to act decisively collectively when the next one emerges React, he said.
Ghebreyesus also reminded the world that “epidemics are far from the only threat we face” in the face of overlapping crises.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on health-related goals, as well as the achievement of the “triple billion” announced at the World Health Assembly in 2017, according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a deadline of 2030. progress towards goals.
The WHO Director-General said: “The pandemic has thrown us off course, but it has shown us why the Sustainable Development Goals must remain our North Star, and why we must pursue them with the same urgency and determination that we tackled the pandemic. Target.”
