'India led world in eradicating 2 pandemics...': WHO asks India to lead Coronavirus fight

In view of the increasing number of coronavirus patients in the country, the World Health Organisation on Monday has urged India to guide the world and show the way to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO also mentioned that despite being a densely populated country India had earlier eradicated two pandemics namely Smallpox and Polio.

The Chief Executive Director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme Michael J Ryan said, "We need to find all the cases first to find out where the virus is. When the outbreak becomes large, we need to understand where the outbreak is and where the cases are surging. There is a need for the number of labs where a surge is seen."

"India is a very populous country and the future of this virus will be considered in a very highly & densely populated country. India led the world in eradicating two pandemics, small-pox, and polio so India has tremendous capacity. There are no easy answers. It is exceptionally important that countries like India show the way to the world as they have done before," he added.

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WHO Lauds India's Decision To Impose Lockdown

Earlier on Monday, the WHO lauded the Centre's decision to impose a lockdown in 75 affected districts of India besides suspending trains, buses and metros. According to Dr. Roderico Ofrin- the Regional Emergencies Director, WHO South-East Asia, India's response to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus was "comprehensive" and "robust". 

He opined that the lockdown and suspension of public transport services reflected India's resolve to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr.Ofrin noted that these measures could help slow down virus transmission. At the same time, he stressed that this needed to be complemented by effective steps to isolate, test, treat and trace.

Dr. Roderico Ofrin remarked, “India has been rolling out a comprehensive and robust response to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19. Its latest announcements related to quarantine and social distancing measure, including recent lockdown of 75 affected districts, suspension of rail, inter-state bus services, and metro services are initiatives of unprecedented scale and reflect the country’s resolve to prevent the spread of the pandemic which is spreading globally at an alarming rate. These measures can help slow down virus transmission along with the continued effective measures being taken to isolate, test, treat and trace."

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COVID-19 cases rise in India

In India, over 490 confirmed cases of the virus have been reported. Along with it, nine deaths have been reported until now. Numerous states have announced lockdowns and curfew has been imposed on few till at least March 31, suspending all public transport services and non-essential services. Presently, there are around 381,521 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 16,553 people. Meanwhile, around 102,429 have reportedly been recovered. 

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