THe PandemicJust accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a milestone for global public health. If such an agreement had been in force before 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemie would look very different. The agreement now means that when the next pandemic starts to brew, the world will be much better equipped to reduce or even prevent this.
What exactly will the agreement do?
In short, have 124 countries promised To prevent, prepare for and to respond to future pandemies. The countries that formally ratify the agreement will certainly maintain a number of obligations, including investing in health infrastructures, sharing intellectual property and the execution of technology transfer.
One of the biggest benefits promises to be the system for access and benefits for sharing pathogens. As a result, UN Member States must share information and data about potential pandemic viruses, including sequencing of new viruses or variants, and relevant vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic technologies. Vaccine manufacturers in participating countries are expected to deliver 20% of the pandemic vaccines to the WHO in real time to distribute worldwide, also to poorer countries and those who need the most. Of these vaccines, the member states will donate 10% of them for free.
Such a scheme would have saved many lives during the COVID-19 Pandemie. In the first few years, The unequal access to vaccines was one of the biggest challengesWith one study that is Up to half of the COVID-19 deaths In many countries with a lower income could have been avoided with a Bilderder stock vaccines.
Read more: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Global-Health Architect
Strikingly absent in the agreement is the US, which historically played a key role in global health, from HIV/AIDS to malaria and beyond. Although Remember 11 countries Out of voices, the omission of the US because of the decision to withdraw from the WHO is remarkable. Covid-19 taught us that the health of people on the other side of the world is inexorably bound to ours. Isolationism does not work when it comes to infectious diseases. Even countries that have taken the most radical measures to contain COVID-19, Like ChinaEventually succumbed to rapid and extensive distribution of the virus when they relaxed international journeys or strict lockdowns and socio-rising measures. By preventing the next pandemic, we must ensure that all countries, including low and middle incomes, have the necessary means to prevent outbreaks from taking place and destroying them before they spread.
The agreement also proves that multilateralism and a desire for global cooperation are still shared goals between most countries. Some critics of the agreement, including the American health secretary Robert F. Kennedy JR, have assertions That it would be a threat to national sovereignty or freedom, because it would endanger the ability of countries to make decisions on pandemic-related health policy. This is not the case. The agreement states that the “Does not describe the sovereign law‘From countries to consider it in accordance with their own national constituents.
Worldwide similarities or treaties of this nature are rare. But when they come about, they are far from tokenistic documents full of Legalese. Although the Pandemic Agreement is less formal and legally binding, different UN worlds have already saved millions of lives. The Framework Convention for Tobacco ControlThe first that treaty has reduced and has tobacco use in the past 20 years saved lives saved With policy such as indoor smoking prohibitions.
Read more: We are still not ready for the next pandemic
Although worldwide agreements require financial and political investments, they can also be cost -effective in the long term. The Minamata -ConventionA UN treaty that is designed to reduce the effects of mercury on health and the environment is expected to save $ 339 billion by 2050 Only in the US.
In addition to pandemies, the agreement also urges countries to undertake cooperation action that will benefit people’s health in countless ways. For example, the agreement leads participating countries to “Take appropriate measures to develop, strengthen and maintain a resilient health systemAnd to take into account Bilderder in the health care system of a countryThe better rested it was to deal with the disease. Of course, better, fairer health care systems are an end in itself; They will reduce the inequalities for health and improve a series of health results, including non-transferable diseases.
The agreement also proposes a “one health” approach of pandemic prevention, readiness and reaction. This takes into account the interconnected nature of human, animal and environment health. Although the current risk for people is low, H5N1 Avian -INFLUENZA A pandemic potential still has. A “One Health” approach Can help prevent and minimize the spread within and between different types and ultimately reduce the risk of further zoodotic landing in people. This type of approach is also important for other health problems, from antimicrobial resistance to food safety.
The pandemic agreement is reason for optimism in these otherwise challenging times for global health.
#Pandemic #Agreement #milestone #public #health