United Nations-. Due to the devastating impact that infectious diseases, epidemics and pandemics have on human life, today marks the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness worldwide.
At the initiative of the Embassy of Vietnam to the United Nations, this anniversary has been celebrated since 2020, also taking into account the impact of these health emergencies on the short, medium and long-term economic and social development of nations, especially those with vulnerable economies.
It is also a tribute to Louis Pasteur, the pioneer of modern microbiology and one of the scientists who laid the foundations of preventive medicine.
This day represents a call to the international community, UN agencies, regional and international organizations, the private sector, individuals and institutions to promote awareness, prevention and control of epidemics worldwide.
Natural or man-made events and disasters can significantly increase the risk of epidemics, as can crises in the global health system and the provision of essential services, particularly in countries with weak economies.
This situation has a significant impact on the population's ability to receive medical and preventive care, as well as on the implementation of effective mechanisms, such as: B. the application of vaccination schedules in low-income communities, which significantly increases the risk of outbreaks and resurgences due to epidemics.
Humanity accumulates several epidemic diseases known in history: the bubonic plague (1720-1722), active until 1959, and the Spanish flu (1918-1919), considered the most devastating pandemic of humanity and caused by a outbreak of influenza virus type A (H1N1). .
The list includes cholera (1817-1923), an acute or severe infectious intestinal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alert and Response Network Epidemic Outbreaks recorded 41 outbreaks in 28 countries.
Likewise, there is avian influenza (since 1878), which affects birds and has the potential to infect mammals and humans, as well as Ebola (since 1976), which can be transmitted through contact with the blood or body fluids of infected people (generally monkeys or). flying foxes) and between 2014 and 2015 the worst outbreaks were recorded in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.
HIV-AIDS (since 1981) is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which has affected more than 75 million people since its emergence and is also one of the major epidemic diseases.
Of great importance for humanity is Covid-19 (since 2020), a pandemic that is currently affecting the entire world and in which there are already 769 million infections and more than seven million deaths, caused by the SARS-CoV coronavirus. 2.
According to the WHO, international cooperation and multilateralism are crucial to the management, control and prevention of these health emergencies that affect nations' ability to respond to epidemics.
Support from international organizations such as the United Nations system is critical to coordinating responses to epidemic, endemic and pandemic diseases.