Experts call on Davos GR to prepare for the next pandemic
Published: Wednesday, Jan 17th 2024, 15:01
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At the World Economic Forum, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged the international community to be better prepared for the next pandemic. An early warning system and preparations in hospitals are needed.
"Ebola, Mers, Zika: these are diseases we know. But an unknown new virus may emerge. The question is not if, but when," said the WHO chief at an expert discussion in Davos GR on Wednesday. According to the latest WHO estimates, an unknown disease X could one day lead to 20 times more deaths than the coronavirus pandemic. "Covid can happen again. This is not a panic. And it's better to be prepared," said Ghebreyesus.
An early warning system and investment in healthcare services are needed so that they can be ramped up if necessary, said the WHO chief. "We lost many lives during Covid because there was no space for patients or no oxygen available." Cooperation between countries must also be improved, he added. During the Covid pandemic, some countries had withheld vaccine doses while other areas lacked them. In Davos, Ghebreyesus also promoted the planned pandemic treaty, with which member states want to take coordinated action in the event of a pandemic.
Brazilian Health Minister Nisia Trindade Lima also wants to reduce the differences between industrialized nations, emerging economies and third world countries. Especially when it comes to the discrepancies in medical tests, medicines and vaccinations. 90 percent of patents are concentrated in 10 percent of countries, she said. Brazil wants to advocate for more multilateralism during its G20 presidency in 2024.
According to the experts in Davos, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will also help with pandemic prevention. AI could detect the outbreak of a disease at an early stage, said Michel Demaré, Chairman of the Board of Directors of British vaccine manufacturer Astrazeneca. He called for data libraries to be opened up on a broad front for exchange across national borders.
The CEO of the technology group Philips, Roy Jakobs, said that many new technologies were available. However, these need to be implemented more quickly. There is a lack of funding in some cases.
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