PAHO urges “bold steps” to respond to current and future health emergencies

Yesterday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urged “bold action” to reduce risks and prepare for and respond to current and future health emergencies.

“We, the survivors, have a great responsibility and an urgent imperative to implement bold actions”, which are a balance of the experience of the countries in the response to COVID-19, said this day the director of the regional agency, Jarbas Barbosa.

The official participated in the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, where he discussed the importance of strengthening the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, PAHO said in a press release.

Barbosa admitted that preventing a pandemic can be extremely difficult but called for “breaking the historical pattern of panic and neglect in the face of pandemic threats”.

This will require a proper analysis of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic involving all sectors, the international community, and beneficiaries to review “the challenges we face, the weaknesses and strengths we show, and to identify the actions we need to implement immediately and in the short and long term,” the official explained.

Barbosa noted that many countries, including those in the Americas, faced challenges in responding to the pandemic, particularly regarding surveillance and access to diagnostics, medicines, vaccines, and qualified health personnel.

According to data updated by PAHO as of May 20, the Americas region has accumulated 192,894,892 cases of COVID-19, with 2,954,027 deaths.

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