Red Cross warns
“The next pandemic could be imminent”
The Red Cross strikes alarming tones. Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain expresses concerns in Geneva about whether the world is well prepared for future pandemics.
Published: 20 minutes ago
Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the Red Cross, calls for more intensive preparation for a possible next pandemic.
From the Red Cross’s point of view, even three years after the outbreak of the corona virus, the world is still not sufficiently prepared for possible future pandemics. “The next pandemic could be imminent,” warned the Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Jagan Chapagain, on Monday in Geneva. “If the experience with Covid-19 doesn’t speed up our preparations, what will?” he asked.
According to current figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 6.8 million people have died in connection with Covid-19. In its global disaster report, the Red Cross pointed out that the pandemic had triggered the largest death toll since World War II.
For future pandemics: build trust
The number of annual disease outbreaks tripled between the early 1980s and late 2000s, according to the report. This has to do with increasing population density, increasing air traffic and the approach of human settlements to natural habitats, it said.
In order to be prepared for future pandemics, the population’s trust in vaccinations and health measures must be increased, Chapagain demanded. The fair global distribution of vaccines and medicines as well as local health measures at the community level are just as important.
Apart from Corona, the Red Cross counted 433 disasters in 2020 with around 15,400 deaths and 529 disasters in 2021 with 14,600 deaths. In both years there were more than 300 events related to climate and weather. (SDA)