WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference after an opening ceremony in Berlin on Wednesday, the coronavirus pandemic was the catalyst for the hub, with dignitaries including Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
“Even as we respond to the pandemic, we must learn the lesson it is teaching us,” Dr. Tedros said. “One of the most obvious is the need for new powerful systems and tools for global surveillance to collect, analyze and disseminate data on outbreaks that have the potential to become epidemics and pandemics. The virus must move faster, but the data can move even faster.”
The German government is initially funding The effort will be led by Dr. Chikwe Ihekwezu, Director General of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control. The Hub is part of the WHO’s Health Emergency Program, run by Dr. Michael Ryan.
Dr. Ryan said the deeply connected nature of the modern world, which can allow a new disease – and misinformation – to spread around the world at astonishing speed, can help war pathogens if nations work together . can do.
“This interconnection is also our biggest strength,” he said.