"A Global Network for Monitoring Infectious Diseases Launched by WHO"

2023-05-26 07:48:18

An international network to monitor infectious diseases is launched by the WHO 123RF©

The World Health Organization (WHO) launches an observatory of infectious diseases. A real international surveillance network, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

More pandemics are to come and “We simply cannot continue as before”, declared the director of the World Health Organization at the opening of the 76th World Health Assembly which took place on May 25.

Prevent infectious diseases

The Covid-19 pandemic has left its mark and led to an unprecedented international health crisis. Are the lessons being heard? Yes, if we judge the decision of the WHO to launch an international observatory of infectious diseases. It is a surveillance network responsible for detecting threats posed by emerging diseases as quickly as possible.

At the heart of the proposed agreement is the need to ensure equity both in access to the tools needed to prevent pandemics (technologies such as vaccines, personal protective equipment, information, know-how, etc. ) and access to care for all.

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The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will take the form of a platform where different countries can exchange their information. Another goal will be to collect and analyze samples, the WHO said. The goal is to identify infectious diseases as quickly as possible.

Genomics

The network will use genomics. A recent science, which studies the genome of an individual, a tumor or a virus like Covid-19 and its many variants that appeared successively – Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omicron… Once the genome has been sequenced, we can study the contagiousness, dangerousness and the mode of diffusion of viruses. And therefore better identify infectious diseases, prevent their spread and develop new treatments and vaccines.

The objective is to move from a status driven by emergency to a status driven by pandemic risk preparation. This is played out at the international level with the draft agreement on pandemic risk preparedness and with the amendments to the International Health Regulations, currently under discussion, but also at the national level. This is a transition not to be missed. The pandemic risk remains major, alongside that of war and famine. In just three years, this pandemic has still caused 20 million deaths.

Pr Didier Houssin, head of the Covid-19 Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO), in an interview with Daily Doctor.