World ‘dangerously unprepared’ for next pandemic – Red Cross

Despite three “brutal” years of the Covid-19 pandemic, strong preparedness systems are “severely lacking,” according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The world’s largest humanitarian network said building trust, justice and local action networks were vital to preparing for the next crisis.

“All countries remain dangerously unprepared for future outbreaks,” said the IFRC, which concluded governments were no more ready now than they were in 2019.

It said countries should be prepared for “multiple hazards, not just one”, and said societies only became truly resilient by planning for different types of disasters, as they can happen simultaneously.

The IFRC cited the increase in climate-related disasters and waves of disease outbreaks this century, of which Covid-19 was just one.

It said extreme weather events were becoming more frequent and intense, “and our ability to simply respond to them is limited”.

The IFRC released two reports with recommendations for mitigating future tragedies on the scale of Covid-19, on the third anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the virus an international public health emergency.

“The Covid-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call for the global community to prepare now for the next health crisis,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagin.

“The next pandemic may be just around the corner; if the experience of Covid-19 will not accelerate our steps towards preparedness, what will?”

The report said great dangers affect those who are already most vulnerable, and exposing the poorest was “self-defeating” as a disease can recur in a more dangerous form.

– Broken trust –

The IFRC said if people trusted safety messages, they would be willing to comply with public health measures and accept vaccination.

But the organization said crisis responders “can’t wait until next time to build trust,” and urged consistent cultivation over time.

The IFRC said that when trust was fragile, public health became political and individualized – something that hampered the Covid response.

It also said the coronavirus pandemic was thriving and exacerbating inequalities, with poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of access to health and social services and malnutrition creating conditions for disease to thrive.

“The world needs to address inequal health and socioeconomic vulnerabilities well before the next crisis,” it advised.

The organization also said local communities should be mobilized to do life-saving work as pandemics begin and end there.

The IFRC called for the development of pandemic response products that are cheaper and easier to store and administer.

Countries should increase domestic health financing by 1% of gross domestic product by 2025, and global health financing by at least $15 billion a year.

The IFRC said its network had reached more than 1.1 billion people over the past three years to help keep them safe during the Covid pandemic.

AFP