The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against underestimating the risk of disease on earth despite the fall in the number of deaths in the corona pandemic.

“We are in a very difficult situation: Covid is not over yet, plus monkeypox.

There is Ebola in Uganda, and cholera has been reported from 27 countries.

In eleven of them it has never appeared before," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the FAZ at the World Health Summit in Berlin.

Christian Geinitz

Business correspondent in Berlin

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Non-communicable diseases, such as those of the psyche, are also a source of growing concern.

Before the pandemic, they were often hushed up.

"It's okay not to be okay," Tedros said.

"We need to talk about it or mental issues become a silent killer."

In the corona pandemic, the number of mental illnesses rose sharply, in the case of depression and anxiety by 25 percent.

Children who have missed school for two years are particularly affected.

There is also more violence in families who have to live together in a confined space around the clock.

"The issue of mental health is something that really worries us," Tedros said.

In order to take countermeasures, an open debate is necessary, fortunately more and more people are admitting to their mental illnesses.

"People with influence, especially political leaders and business leaders, should speak up about their experiences," said the WHO chief.

"If sick people who are followed by a lot of people tell their stories, it would break the silence."

Criticism of Zero Covid and China

Regarding the Covid-19 situation, Tedros said that American President Joe Biden had been misunderstood with his statements about the end of the pandemic.

According to him, Corona is not over as a whole, but the Corona emergency.

Everyone knows that the virus is spreading and can hardly be eradicated.

"It changes from one variant to the next and will stay with us," says Tedros.

"But as long as we manage to keep it at the lowest level and limit the deaths, we can live with it.

Then there will come a time when we can say: The emergency phase is also over globally.”

However, because the spread of the virus cannot be prevented, any zero-Covid policy is doomed to fail.

In this context, Tedros criticized the Chinese, whose head of state and party leader Xi Jinping has announced that this same policy will be continued.

“Zero Covid is not a sustainable concept, they should look for other options.

Sooner or later they will have to open up, because the measures taken cannot be maintained,” says Tedros.

"The rest of the world has opened up, life goes on, Covid can be managed." Corona must be dealt with in a similar way to the flu, with vaccinations and other protective efforts in order to minimize the number of serious illnesses and deaths.

The secretary-general also clarified that the investigation into the origin of the virus in Wuhan, China, is ongoing.

One theory says that the pathogen escaped from a laboratory there.

"We still don't know how it all started, but we need to know, for scientific and moral reasons," Tedros demanded.

"If we don't know the origin of this virus, it's very difficult to prevent the next one."

focus on health promotion

In addition, the world community, which had to restrict itself severely, has a right to this knowledge.

“About six million people have died, many infected people are affected and many families.

We owe it to them to know the answer.” Regarding the time horizon, Tedros said: “If the Chinese open up, things can happen quickly: if they give us what we ask for, if they openly show us their documents, if there is transparency .

But unless they cooperate, it will take a long time.”

The WHO chief said the international community had learned a lot about fighting the pandemic.

A 1.4 billion dollar financing mechanism was set up at the World Bank with Germany's participation.

In addition, the WHO has set up a center for pandemic and epidemic education in Berlin.

It is clear that one must concentrate more on health promotion.

These included incentives for a healthier life, more exercise, less alcohol and tobacco.

Higher investments in basic medical care are also required.

This has long been neglected, which is why the pandemic even surprised rich countries with cutting-edge technology.

According to Tedros, the findings for better prevention are there.

"But the question is whether we will implement all the measures to prevent the next pandemic." A major weakness was the unfair access to care.

“If the world wants to prepare for the future, we have to tackle the fair distribution of instruments, such as vaccinations, medicines, diagnostics.” That is why the adoption of the planned International Treaty on Pandemic Prevention is so important, Tedros appealed: “Out of the pandemic learning means, above all, closing this agreement as quickly as possible.”