Theme:
- COVID-19 pandemic came when the world least expected it. And it taught us many lessons, especially about preparedness for the next pandemic. Now, all the countries have realized the importance of taking steps to prevent pandemics in future.
How can we prevent the next pandemic:
- Transparency and better information sharing among countries are needed. When each and every country shares the information about the new virus cases or the possibility of the virus with the other countries, the world together can work on containing it and solving the issue immediately.
- A dedicated team in the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the possibility of a pandemic will be very helpful to take quick action and to alert all the countries.
- COVID-19 pandemic made the world realize the necessity of strong healthcare systems. More investments are needed to strengthen healthcare infrastructure. In case of emergencies, it should be able to treat all the people affected immediately at the origin itself to prevent further spread of disease.
- More investments are needed for research and development in healthcare.
- Malnourished people are the most vulnerable people in case of epidemics (affects within an area or a country) and pandemics (affects globally). So, tackling the issue of malnutrition and improving the nutritional status of everyone is necessary. With a good nutritional status, people can fight the virus effectively. And thereby we can stop the epidemics from becoming pandemics.
- Most of the infectious diseases are zoonotic diseases, which means the virus is passed from animal to human. Taking wild animals for food is the main reason for the origin of zoonotic diseases. So, it is a must to stop or regulate wildlife markets. The total ban may result in the rise of illegal markets. So, if we cannot stop such markets, at least the animals there should be tested for pathogens.
- Identifying pathogens of wild animals can help scientists in studying and researching them. This will be helpful to tackle the situation if we failed to prevent the transmission of the pathogen from animal to human.
- Rigorous testings at airports and other points of entries to countries can trace any new virus cases and hence we can take immediate steps to prevent the spread.
Conclusion:
As globalization is on the rise, it’s very easy for epidemics (affects within an area or a country) to become pandemics (affects globally). So, there is a need to strengthen our healthcare systems and to take effective steps to prevent the next pandemic.
Your Turn…
What’s your take on this topic? Do you think we can prevent the next pandemic? Express your views through the comment section below. And subscribe to our blog to read answers to the trending GD topics.
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