Research conducted by "Emirates Today" on the Internet revealed that international experts warned last September of an unknown source malware virus that could spread all over the world within only 36 hours, killing up to 80 million people, and it would cause panic and unrest International stability is severely affecting parts of the global economy.

According to the British newspaper, The Guardian, published on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, under the title "The world is not ready for future epidemics", the warning seemed like an unlikely story, although the newspaper later added that a group of prominent international experts issued a stark warning that this scenario On malicious virus damage is completely acceptable, and they emphasized that the efforts made by governments to prepare for it are largely insufficient.

The Guardian indicated at the time that the first annual report issued by the Global Council for Monitoring GPMB, an independent group of 15 experts called by the World Bank and the World Health Organization after the first Ebola crisis, warned of the risk of a pandemic spread throughout the world, may lead Killing tens of millions of people.

The report stressed that there are grave risks regarding the difficulty of managing some epidemics such as Ebola, influenza and SARS in light of the increasing conflicts between countries, the climate crisis, the lack of sanitation and the difficulty of obtaining clean water, which are among the reasons for the spread of catastrophic outbreaks rapidly.

"The approach of world leaders to health emergencies has always been somewhat neglected," said former Norwegian Prime Minister and member of the World Council for Preparedness Monitoring, Gro Harlem Brundtland. It also requires leaders to take proactive steps to strengthen preparedness coordination mechanisms across governments and society to respond quickly to emergencies. ”

The report stated that governments and international institutions have taken steps to increase preparedness for outbreaks of epidemics in the five years since the Ebola crisis in West Africa, but experts stressed that the current preparedness is largely insufficient.

"The Ebola, cholera and measles usually occur in places with the weakest health systems," the Guardian quoted the Director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanum Gebresos, as saying. , And we listen to the lessons these outbreaks have taught us, we must fix the roof before it rains. "

The report identified seven steps to ensure a better preparedness of the world health system for the upcoming health emergencies, calling on heads of state to increase funding and for international organizations to build the necessary preparations for financing mechanisms.

Sources:

1. View the original version of the report of the World Readiness Monitoring Council experts:

A WORLD AT RISK

2. See the original report of The Guardian:

Experts warn world 'grossly unprepared' for future pandemics