WHO chief marks Day of Epidemic Preparedness, warns COVID-19 won't be last pandemic

Marking the first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that coronavirus pandemic won't be the last one and attempts to improve human health are doomed without tackling the two-pronged issue of climate change and animal welfare.  “In the past 12 months, lives and livelihoods have been turned upside down by #COVID19. But over the years WHO and our partners have warned that the world is not prepared for a pandemic,” he said.

Lessons from the pandemic 

Warning that COVID-19 won’t be the last pandemic, Ghebreyesus called upon people to learn the lessons from the pandemic. He said that firstly, all countries must invest in capacities to prevent, detect, and mitigate emergencies. Elaborating further, he stressed that preparedness for a pandemic was not individualistic but a collective task. Finally, he said that the coronavirus crisis had made people realize that “our health is crucial.”

"History tells us that this will not be the last pandemic, and epidemics are a fact of life... The pandemic has highlighted the intimate links between the health of humans, animals and planet... Any efforts to improve human health are doomed unless they address the critical interface between humans and animals, and the existential threat of climate change that's making our earth less habitable," said Ghebreyesus.

The UN health body chief also criticised the "dangerously short-sighted" approach of governments all over the world, who immediately start spending money on outbreaks, but do nothing to prepare for the next one. He urged the world to learn lessons from the ongoing pandemic and apply it in the future, saying that the COVID-19 crisis is certainly not going to be the last one the world will ever see. 

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"For too long, the world has operated on a cycle of panic and neglect. We throw money at an outbreak, and when it's over, we forget about it and do nothing to prevent the next one. This is dangerously short-sighted, and frankly difficult to understand," WHO chief said in a video message on Deember 27. 

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