Incoming call in the context of Marburg And mpox outbreak, more than 10,000 COVID-19 deaths are still being reported weekly and emergency response is ongoing to deadly earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“Together, current conditions point to an urgent need for all countries build health systems” that can successfully handle such emergencieshe say.
Recalling a recent visit to Syria, he said that more than a decade of conflict had left the country’s medical infrastructure unable to cope with the aftermath of the recent earthquake, with town after town another destroyed, opened as a testament to the legacy of war.
“Recent outbreaks are also a stark reminder of the urgent need to strengthen health systems,” he said.
the Marburg threat
To address the recent outbreak in Equatorial Guinea, WHO is working with authorities to prepare quickly to detect any suspected cases of Marburg. Ebola-like the virus has a fatality rate of up to 88 percent.
To date, nine deaths have been reported, with no confirmed cases currently in neighboring Cameroon and Gabon.
He added that vaccines are under development and Equatorial Guinea will be involved in any decisions regarding clinical trials.
WHO’s Dr Abdi Mahamud said lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic have been drawn in the current effort to strengthen surveillance efforts in neighboring countries.
Mpox a global emergency
Although WHO acknowledges continued efforts and the number of mpox cases continues to decrease, he said More than 30 countries are currently reporting cases.
“The outbreak is still a public emergency on a global scale,” warned Tedros.
In addition, concerns persist about underreporting, especially in countries where previous cases have been reported, he said, urges all countries to maintain surveillance efforts.
A rare viral disease primarily occurring in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, outbreaks of mpox have emerged in other parts of the world, affecting 110 affected countries. affected, with more than 80,000 reported cases of illness and 55 deaths.
10,000 dead ‘too many’
The head of WHO said reports of hospitalizations and deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic have decreased, but still 10,000 deaths are reported weekly worldwide.
“This is 10,000 deaths is too much for a preventable disease” he say.
auxiliary variable of the Omicron strain also remains a cause for concern, based on increased transmission and killing ability.
Trace the origin of disease
With millions of people already dead and affected by COVID-19, Tedros says for sure Finding the source of the pandemic is very importantfor scientific and ethical reasons, to prevent the next outbreak of disease.
“Ethically, it is It is important to know how we have lost loved ones” he say. “We need to push through until we find answers about where and how this pandemic started.”
The origin of COVID-19, Ebola, Marburg and other diseases is unknown, but The investigation is ongoing.
Although WHO does not have discretionary authority to enter a country to conduct related research, Scientific Advisory Group on the Origin of New Pathogens (SAGO) clarified what the next steps are.
