RNS: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a global alert, urging all nations to prepare for a future pandemic that might be “even deadlier” than the coronavirus outbreak.
After declaring that the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer a public health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that this downgrade does not indicate that the pandemic is no longer a global health hazard.
In his speech to the 76th World Health Assembly, he warned that “the threat of another variant emerging that causes new surges of disease and death remains,” and that “the threat of another pathogen emerging with even deadlier potential” still remained.
Although Covid-19 is no longer a global public health emergency, he stressed the importance of countries strengthening their response to the disease and preparing for future pandemics and other dangers to implement a decisive and coordinated response when the next pandemic emerges.
To add to this, Tedros emphasised that “pandemics are far from the only threat we face” in light of the other crises currently unfolding around the world.
The Triple Billion target, set at the 2017 World Health Assembly, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have a deadline of 2030, were significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tedros added: the pandemic had “blown us off the course,” but it had also revealed why the SDGs must remain the organization’s guiding light and must be pursued with the same urgency and commitment as they were used to combat the virus.
