Let's Take Bold Action On Health To Avoid Future Pandemics

BLOGS.ADB.ORG: The CoVID-19 pandemic could be an opportunity to take a more holistic approach to health and well-being, invest in health systems and in resilient supply chains.

- Susann Roth And Najibullah Habib

Viruses that cause new diseases like CoVID-19 are unpredictable. Their impact depends partly on population dynamics, partly on demographics and behaviour, and of course on the nature of the virus itself. We don’t know the virus well enough to know what it will do next, or to say with certainty how we can best protect high-risk groups.

What we do know is that bold actions are needed to contain and defeat this and future pandemics. Dealing with risk factors driving infections requires strong leadership, quick decisions based on scientific evidence, and the full cooperation of national and local governments, as well as people.

Based on our experience, the impacts of national responses to epidemics are often short-lived. over time, the crisis fades and we forget what it takes to establish fast emergency response capacity, strengthen health systems and ensure population health for the long-term.

This needs to change, particularly in Asia and the Pacific which faces a confluence of risk factors including environmental degradation, climate change, air pollution, cross-border threats, urbanisation, population density, global air travel, and trade.

Long-term solutions will only emerge if we expand our understanding of infectious disease risks. so let’s look at three important risk factors that drive infections.

The first and most important is a person’s overall health. How strong is one’s immune system? It is the first line of defense against infectious agents. In cities across the region, air pollution takes a toll on our respiratory system’s ability to respond effectively to infectious agents.