According to the WHO, from the first case registered in Wuhan, China, to mid-June 2023, nearly 768 million people worldwide were infected with the deadly disease and nearly seven million died from causes related to the disease.
Southeast Asian countries were among the first to be hit by the deadly disease. As of January 2020, cases were reported in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore and the Philippines, and more than 35 million cases have been reported so far.
While China and India lag behind the United States, they have the highest number of detected infections at 99 million 285,000 177 and 44 million 993,000 543 respectively.
Due to its political, cultural and socio-economic diversity, Asia is prone to natural disasters, has densely populated areas and a high burden of disease, which is mainly due to socio-economic and environmental factors.
Outbreaks of viruses such as highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have occurred over the past century with major health and economic impacts.
Data from the Regional Office of the World Health Organization suggests that Indonesia has seen an increase in measles cases since 2022 compared to previous years and that Nepal saw a surge in the disease in the sub-metropolis of Nepalgunj, in Banke District, earlier in the year .
Outbreaks of Nipah virus infection are seasonal in Bangladesh, with cases typically occurring between December and May; Since the first report in 2001, the number of patients has been 67 per year.
However, 11 cases were detected between Jan. 4 and Feb. 13, 2023, including eight deaths in two divisions of this Asian country, the source revealed.
Causes this condition
Population growth, increasing deforestation, and the effects of climate change are among other factors affecting the emergence and resurgence of infectious diseases in Asia.
Among the ten most populous countries in the world, five are Asian countries. India and China top the list almost equally, followed by the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia and Mexico (in that order).
Likewise, half of the population of Southeast Asian countries, accounting for 8.6 percent of the planet’s total population, lives in urban areas, and this proportion is expected to surpass 70 percent by 2050.
Deforestation is a pressing problem across the region. At least 1.2 percent of forests are lost each year, mainly to deforestation, and it is estimated that more than 40 percent of total forest cover could disappear by 2100.
In 2016, a major fire in Indonesia destroyed 30 percent of the tree population.
At the same time, indiscriminate poaching of wild animals continues, abducted from their natural habitat through legal and illegal trade for collectibles, food, or use as food.
To illustrate: more than three thousand parts and products of the endangered helmeted hornbill were seized between 2010 and 2019, primarily in Indonesia, more than 96,000 kilograms of pangolin scales in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam between 2017 and 2019, and 45,000 live specimen birds in Indonesia over the years 2018 and 2019.
Likewise, the region is one of the most vulnerable regions in terms of climate change impacts as it faces warming tendencies and a possible change in the pattern of the South Asian monsoons.
These changes are mainly attributed to fossil fuel use, deforestation, and disorderly agricultural practices.
As a result, annual temperatures have risen by around 0.6 degrees Celsius per decade over the past 100 years, and weather phenomena such as heavy rain and storms have increased in number and intensity.
According to the 2022 Global Risk Index report, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam have the highest estimated risk of disasters (64), while according to long-term climate risk in the index between 2000 and 2019, Myanmar was the hardest-hit country in Southeast Asia and the second-largest of the World.
In fact, the effects of last May’s Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar, believed to be one of the strongest this century in the Bay of Bengal, caused the deaths of at least 460 people and hundreds of people missing, mostly Roghynyas refugees, according to authorities.
In 2008, Cyclone Nargis was the worst natural disaster ever recorded in the country, at least the second deadliest in the world. He was responsible for 140,000 deaths and catastrophic destruction.
Health services are never enough
Based on experiences with outbreaks of infection prior to Covid-19, WHO, in a statement signed in Delhi, stated that strengthening preparedness and response to health emergencies in the Region through programs such as the Regional Priorities Program 2014, supported by Member States in the Region, The priority is the 72nd session of the WHO Committee on Southeast Asia.
At the meeting, they agreed on a strategic plan through 2023 to make progress towards that goal and, in line with the effort, created the bi-regional strategic framework, the Asia-Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Emergencies health, as a guide .
In other words, efforts have been made to strengthen the health systems of Southeast Asian countries through multisectoral collaboration between international organizations, government agencies and other stakeholders affecting the sector.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed long-standing gaps in the healthcare system and exacerbated inequalities. Even countries with relatively acceptable resources in the region and internationally have declined in infrastructure, human resources and access to medical products, among other things.
It also showed that the level of preparedness was not sufficient to deal effectively with such a serious health emergency and that there is a need for constant development of sustainable regional and national systems with a long-term vision.
Major innovation projects have enabled health services to recover; However, there is a need to build on these efforts to make them sustainable and ensure rapid response capability for emergencies.
This is what the Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) points out in the article “Learning from the response to Covid-19 to strengthen health security and resilient health systems”.
Health ministers and experts from India coordinated ideas for measures to prevent, prepare for and respond to health emergencies in the region in anticipation of the country’s G20 presidency.
Delegates stressed the importance of strengthening collaboration in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and the need to create safe, effective, high quality and affordable medical countermeasures.
They advocated digital health innovations and solutions to achieve universal health coverage, improve health care in the Global South and try to shut the door on humanity’s silent enemy once and for all.
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