The first observance of the International Day of the Epidemic Preparedness was on December 27. The day saw policymakers and international development partners underscoring the need for countries to be better prepared to deal with future epidemics.
The International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for, and partnership against, epidemics. The International Day falls on the birthdate of Louis Pasteur, the French chemist and microbiologist responsible for ground-breaking work on vaccinations.
The General Assembly also recognised the role of the UN system, in particular WHO, in coordinating responses to epidemics, and supporting efforts to prevent, mitigate and address the impacts of infectious diseases.
The observance is timely, as it sought to remind Governments and international health partners of the need to place more efforts and invest more resources in better preparing themselves for future epidemics. 2022 is speedily coming to an end, but it will always be remembered by generations to come, as people’s lives have changed like never before. Between 2020 and 2022, one could have never imagined that so much of the things we take for granted could have been disrupted, not necessarily in a bad way, but in a manner that is for our own good.
COVID-19 had really caught the world by surprise, and its massive economic and social impacts on countries will no doubt be felt in years to come, as China now faces rising cases. At the moment, the deadly disease has a foothold across the globe, and had reached countries that were already facing humanitarian crises because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.
Secretary-General António Guterres, in his 2022 message, said that three years ago this month, the virus that causes COVID-19 was first detected.
“The costs have been catastrophic. Millions of lives have been lost, and hundreds of millions of people have fallen ill. Economies were shattered, health systems were stretched, and trillions of dollars were lost. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been thrown off track. And developing countries were often left to fend for themselves, shamefully denied the vaccines, tests or treatments they needed to protect their people.”
We agree COVID-19 will not be the last epidemic or pandemic humanity faces, and we also agree that, as a global community, the world must heed the harsh lessons of COVID-19 and make bold investments in pandemic preparedness, prevention and response.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged countries’ public health systems to their maximum, as many of them were very weak and did not have adequate mechanisms in place to detect or contain the virus. Hence, most countries, including Guyana, would need massive financial and other forms of support to be fully prepared to tackle such a health crisis.
In a message to mark the Day, Guterres also warned that as Governments and health partners strive to control and recover from the current pandemic, “We need better surveillance to detect and monitor viruses with epidemic potential. We need more resilient health systems, supported by universal health coverage. And we need a health workforce that is well-trained, well-equipped and well-paid. We also need equitable access to vaccines, treatments, diagnostics, and life-saving technology for all countries.”
It is also necessary for countries to strengthen their prevention capacities so that they are ready when the world faces the next outbreak.
We therefore support the call for countries to invest in preparedness capacity to prevent, detect and mitigate emergencies, and to build strong primary healthcare systems as the foundation of universal health coverage.
As Secretary-General António Guterres said: “A pandemic cannot be fought country by country. The world must come together. COVID-19 was a wake-up call. On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, I urge all countries to stand with our efforts to ensure the world is equipped and ready to take on the health challenges to come.”
