António Guterres, the United Nations (UN) secretary-general,
says the world needs to prepare for the next pandemic as COVID-19 will not be
the last.
Guterres said this on Monday in his message to mark the
International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.
International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked on
December 27, is to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness
for and partnership against epidemics.
The UN secretary-general said: “COVID-19 demonstrated how
quickly an infectious disease can sweep across the world, push health systems
to the brink, and upend daily life for all of humanity.
“It also revealed our failure to learn the lessons of recent
health emergencies like SARS, avian influenza, Zika, Ebola and others.
“And it reminded us that the world remains woefully
unprepared to stop localized outbreaks from spilling across borders, and
spiraling into a global pandemic.
“COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic humanity will face.
Infectious diseases remain a clear and present danger to every country.
“As we respond to
this health crisis, we need to prepare for the next one. This means scaling-up
investments in better monitoring, early detection and rapid response plans in
every country — especially the most vulnerable.
“It means strengthening primary health care at the local
level to prevent collapse. It means ensuring equitable access to lifesaving
interventions like vaccines for all people.
“And it means achieving Universal Health Coverage. Most of
all, it means building global solidarity to give every country a fighting
chance to stop infectious diseases in their tracks.
“An outbreak anywhere is a potential pandemic everywhere.
“On this international day of epidemic preparedness, let’s
give this issue the focus, attention and investment it deserves.”
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