Five years ago, the world received the first report of a strange flu-like illness originating from Wuhan, China. The symptoms of the disease were said to be very common like cold, cough, fever, pneumonia, but when did the disease with these common symptoms become an epidemic. What we now call Covid-19.
This epidemic has cost the lives of more than 14 million people and shaken the global economy. Around 400 million people around the world have suffered from Covid for a long time. Once again, news of HMPV disease comes to us from China. Photos of Chinese hospital and crematorium are going viral on social media. Taking this into account, it can be estimated that HMPV spreads rapidly. Leaders around the world have expressed their fears over HMPV. It was also said that this disease should not take the form of an epidemic.
World leaders and the World Health Organization have clearly stated that if HMPV develops into an epidemic, then we are fully prepared to fight this emergency. Experts on the subject believe it is too early to talk about it. Only time will tell if we will be able to cope better.
New health threats emerge frequently. World health leaders declared the Mpox outbreak in Africa an international public health emergency in 2024. As the year drew to a close. Teams of experts were investigating a possible outbreak of an unknown disease in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is now believed to be a case of severe malaria and other illnesses caused by acute malnutrition. Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of pandemic preparedness and prevention at the World Health Organization (WHO), is concerned about the situation regarding avian flu. The virus is not transmitted from human to human. But the number of human infections has increased over the past year, with flu in particular under international scrutiny.
The COVID-19 pandemic has literally destabilized health systems around the world. And after that, a long list of other health crises emerged. The seasonal flu started to spread, we had a Mpox emergency. We had Marburg, we had cholera, we had earthquakes, we had floods, measles, diphtheria, dengue, oropoch. Health systems are slowly being overwhelmed and our health workers globally are really feeling the consequences. Many people have left. Many suffer from PTSD. Many people died.
The world has never been better positioned when it comes to the expertise, technology and data systems needed to quickly detect a threat. In most countries around the world, the spread of genomic infections has increased much faster than before. We have learned a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic for better access to medical oxygen and infection prevention and control. Is the world ready for the next pandemic or not? The answer to this question can be both yes and no. On the other hand, because of Covid and other infections, we have to face many problems like climate change and economic crisis. At present, it can be said that it is not prepared for a second pandemic.
Published on: January 06, 2025 4:05 PM (IST)
