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 earlier this month 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. 2020 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. 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 has really caught the world by surprise, and its massive economic and social impacts on countries will no doubt be felt in years to come. At the moment, the deadly disease has a foothold across the globe, and has reached countries that were already facing humanitarian crises because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.
Many of these countries were also already facing tough economic times, and now, with the challenge of battling COVID-19, one can only imagine how some of them would survive this difficult period. For sure, the COVID-19 pandemic has indeed taught us all that if we are not fully prepared to tackle an epidemic, the result could be very devastating. It is for this reason that one can never overstate the need for governments and development partners to do all that is possible to ensure they are well prepared for the next health crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged countries’ public health systems to their maximum, as many of them are very weak and do 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 health crisis.
In a message to mark the Day, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres warned that as governments and health partners strive to control and recover from the current pandemic, “we must think about the next”. On this basis, he highlighted the need for strong health systems and social protection, support for communities on the frontlines, and technical cooperation for countries.
It is also necessary for countries to strengthen their prevention capacities so that they are ready when the world faces the next outbreak.
Many world leaders have detailed the “devastating experience” of the COVID-19 pandemic on their economies and, in particular, their health systems. They have urged more international cooperation to fight the virus, and for the world to be better prepared for future occurrences. According to the UN, if we ready ourselves, then we can save lives and stop epidemics from developing into pandemics.
On his part, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the importance of a “One Health Approach”, which integrates human health, animal health and plant health, as well as environmental factors.
This, according to the WHO Head, is all the more important given that 75 per cent of new and emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic, caused by germs that spread between animals and people.
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.
