The Red Cross has warned that countries are “not prepared” for the next pandemic. (agent)
Geneva:
All countries remain “dangerously unprepared” for the next pandemic, the Red Cross warned on Monday, adding that future health crises could also clash with the growing likelihood of climate-related disasters.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that despite three “brutal” years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a “serious lack” of robust preparedness systems.
The world’s largest humanitarian network said it was important to build trust, equity and local action networks to prepare for the next crisis.
The IFRC said “not all countries are dangerously unprepared for future outbreaks,” concluding that governments were no more prepared now than in 2019.
It states that countries “need to prepare for many hazards, not just one”, adding that societies only become truly resilient by planning for different types of disasters as they occur simultaneously. Can
The IFRC cited an increase in climate-related disasters and disease outbreaks this century, of which COVID-19 was just one.
It said extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, “and our ability to react to them is only limited”.
The IFRC released two reports making recommendations to reduce future tragedies on the scale of COVID-19 on the third anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the virus an international public health emergency.
“The Covid-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call for the global community to prepare now for the next health crisis,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapgain.
“The next pandemic may be just around the corner; if the experience of COVID-19 doesn’t accelerate our steps toward preparedness, what will?”
The report said major threats disproportionately harm those who are already most vulnerable, and that exposing the poorest was “self-defeating”, as a disease could return in a more dangerous form.
breach of trust
The IFRC said that if people trusted the safety messages, they would be more willing to follow public health measures and accept vaccinations.
But the organization said those responding to the crisis “cannot wait until next time to build trust”, urging them to cultivate continuity over time.
The IFRC said that if trust was fragile, public health became political and personal – something that affected the response to Covid.
It also said that the coronavirus pandemic had exacerbated inequalities and created conditions for diseases to thrive due to poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of access to health and social services, and malnutrition.
“The world must address inequitable health and socio-economic vulnerabilities well before the next crisis,” it recommended.
The organization also said that local communities should be leveraged to do life-saving work, as this is where the pandemic begins and ends.
The IFRC called for the development of pandemic response products that are inexpensive, and easy to store and administer.
By 2025, it states that countries should increase domestic health finance to one per cent of GDP and global health finance to at least $15 billion per year.
IFRC said its network has reached over 1.1 billion people over the past three years to help keep them safe during the COVID pandemic.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
featured video of the day
What young citizens expect from Budget 2023