Global health: the mutant omicron shows the need for a global agreement on epidemics

Geneva-Sana

The World Health Organization called today for an international agreement to help prevent and combat future epidemics, against the background of the emergence of a worrying new strain of the Corona virus called “Omicron”.

The Associated Press quoted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as saying in a video conference with outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera today: "The emergence of the Omicron mutant highlights the severity of the epidemiological situation in the world," stressing the world's need for a legally binding agreement. regarding epidemics.

Tedros indicated that the current system does not give an incentive to countries to warn against the threats that will inevitably reach them, considering that South Africa and Botswana should have been thanked for discovering and announcing the mutant, and not punishing them, in reference to the travel restrictions announced by many countries on air travel to and from South African countries.

Tedros noted that WHO scientists and others around the world are working urgently to decipher the new variant and the danger in it. Vaccines.

In turn, Merkel called for "sufficient and reliable funding" to the World Health Organization and increased contributions from its member states, and said: "The catastrophic impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on health and the economy should be a lesson for us, because viruses know no national borders, and for this reason we must impose measures to improve prevention." early detection and response in an internationally binding manner.

The discovery of the new mutant in South Africa caused strong reactions around the world, as many countries restricted travel to southern African countries and imposed other restrictions for fear of its rapid spread, even among previously vaccinated people.