A group threatened by a pandemic can kill millions of people

LONDON: A group of international experts warned that the world was facing a growing threat of disease pandemics that could kill millions of people and harm the global economy, and governments should be safe. use to prepare for and mitigate this risk.

The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), jointly organized by the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), has warned that epidemic-prone viral diseases such as Ebola, influenza and SARS are becoming increasingly common. more difficult to manage in a world dominated by long conflicts. Fragile states and forced migration.

"The threat of a pandemic that is spreading around the world is real," the group said in a report released on Wednesday. "A fast-acting pathogen can potentially kill tens of millions of people, disrupt economies and destabilize national security."

Some governments and international agencies have made efforts to be vigilant and prepare for major epidemics since the devastating Ebola outbreak in 2014-2016 in West Africa, but these efforts are "clearly insufficient, "says the report.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, a former WHO official who co-chaired the board, added that current approaches to disease and health emergencies are "characterized by a cycle of panic and of negligence ".

The report quotes the pandemic of "Spanish flu" of 1918, which killed about 50 million people. With a huge number of people flying around the world every day, an air-like epidemic could spread to the world in less than 36 hours and kill an estimated 50 to 80 million people, wiping out nearly 5 percent of the world economy. I said.

In the event of a pandemic, many national health systems – especially in poor countries – would collapse.

"Poverty and fragility exacerbate epidemics of infectious diseases and help create the conditions for a pandemic," said Axel van Trotsenburg, Acting Managing Director of the World Bank and a member of the group.

Calling on governments to "take into account the lessons that these outbreaks tell us" and "repair the roof before the rain falls," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's chief executive, said they should invest in strengthening health systems and increase funding for research. in new technologies, improve coordination and rapid communication systems, and continuously monitor progress.

The WHO also warned earlier this year that another flu pandemic – caused by airborne viruses – was inevitable, and said the world had to be there. to prepare.