On the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the lack of global preparedness for future pandemics, emphasizing the lessons learned from COVID-19 and historical outbreaks such as SARS and MERS. Despite advancements, the emergence of new infectious diseases continues, and the response to COVID-19 underscored significant gaps in health system readiness. The declaration of a pandemic is crucial for global awareness and action to mitigate viral threats, necessitating stronger international cooperation and improved surveillance techniques to handle health emergencies effectively.
The COVID-19 crisis may have passed, but a harsh lesson remains: The world is woefully unprepared for the next pandemic.
The aim of declaring a pandemic is to create a global alert, for people to be aware of the risks that a virus or disease may pose.
SARS, emerging in China in late 2002, caused more than 700 deaths and revealed the need for better international cooperation in public health responses.
Reflecting on SARS and MERS, we must ask what lessons should have been learned to improve our response to future pandemics.
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