The world needs to be prepared for the next pandemic, warns WHO Chief. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), issued a warning that the world must prepare for the next pandemic, which could be “even deadlier” than the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when COVID cases are beginning to stabilize around the world.
“The end of COVID-19 as a global health emergency is not the end of COVID-19 as a global health threat,” Mr Tedros said.
“The threat of another variant emerging that causes new surges of disease and death remains, and the threat of another pathogen emerging with even deadlier potential remains.”
The world needs to be prepared for the next pandemic, warns WHO Chief. The head of the WHO said this as he presented his report to the 76th World Health Assembly.
Furthermore, in the face of overlapping and converging crises, “pandemics are far from the only threat we face”, he added, underscoring the need for effective global mechanisms that address and respond to emergencies of all kinds.
“When the next pandemic comes knocking-and it will-we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively, and equitably,” he advised.
Tedros stated that COVID-19 had significant implications for health-related targets under the SDGs, which have a 2030 deadline.
The pandemic also hampered progress toward the Triple Billion targets, which were announced at the World Health Assembly in 2017.
The five-year initiative aims to provide one billion more people with universal health coverage, one billion more are better protected from health emergencies, and another billion enjoy improved wellness and health.
“The pandemic has blown us off course, but it has shown us why the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must remain our north star, and why we must pursue them with the same urgency and determination with which we countered the pandemic,” he said.
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