First Corona Death Registered: Anniversary on January 11

Five years after the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, not only experts are asking how well the world is prepared for future pandemics.

"Painful Lessons"

When asked whether the world is now better prepared for pandemics, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference in December: "The answer is yes and no." The world is still struggling "with some weaknesses and vulnerabilities". On the other hand, the international community has learned many "painful lessons" and has taken "significant measures to strengthen its defense against future epidemics and pandemics".

According to Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's Department for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness, it is only a matter of time before the next pandemic threatens. The experiences from the Corona pandemic and the severe flu epidemic in 2009 have "improved a lot". However, in her view, the world is still inadequately prepared for a "massive outbreak" of an infectious disease or a new pandemic.

A very similar conclusion is reached by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response convened by the WHO: It criticizes, among other things, that there is still global inequality in access to vaccines and medicines.

"I Don't Believe We Are Better Prepared Than We Were for Covid"

US epidemiologist Meg Scheffer is also skeptical: "To be honest, no, I don't believe we are better prepared than we were for Covid." Health authorities worldwide are still not able to quickly capture and share information about new pathogens.

Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans at least sees the rapid development of mRNA vaccines during the Corona pandemic as a glimmer of hope. However, she warns of increasing vaccine skepticism and disinformation, which could lead to "major problems" in future vaccination campaigns.

US expert Scheffer also trusts that many people now know how to protect themselves and others from infection, for example by washing their hands regularly or wearing masks.

Pandemic Center and Fund

In Berlin, a new pandemic center was established by the WHO in 2021: The Global Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is intended to help identify and respond to health emergencies in the future.

As a lesson from the Corona pandemic, the Global Pandemic Fund, located at the World Bank, was also established. The funds from the fund are used to better equip laboratories in poorer countries and train medical personnel. So far, projects with a volume of 338 million dollars (almost 328 million euros) have been funded.

In South Africa, an mRNA technology center was established to improve local vaccine production. A WHO training center for biotechnology in South Korea is intended to promote the production of medicines in more countries.

After the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the WHO declared a health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020 - the highest level of alert. However, most countries only reacted when WHO Director-General Tedros described the worsening situation as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. To enforce a faster response in future pandemics, the International Health Regulations were amended in June 2024 and supplemented with a pandemic emergency.

In December 2021, the World Health Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the WHO, also decided to draft a global agreement to respond to future health crises. So far, however, the WHO member states have not been able to agree on a draft. The main points of contention are the sharing of information about pathogens and the distribution of vaccines and other resources between rich and poor countries.

From Corona to "Disease X"

The WHO has identified several pathogens that could trigger major epidemics or pandemics. The current list includes Covid-19, the Ebola and Marburg viruses, Lassa fever, the respiratory diseases Mers and Sars, the Zika virus, and an as yet unknown but potentially threatening "Disease X".

Virologist Tom Peacock from Imperial College London also warns of the bird flu virus H5N1, which he believes should be taken "very seriously".

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.