Two experts specializing in epidemiology for “Sky News Arabia” identify the features of the upcoming epidemics, and how the world can limit their spread, and not repeat the heavy losses of the “Corona” virus epidemic.
Last February, the World Health Organization held an urgent meeting on the “Marburg” virus, known as the “deadly disease”, which kills 90 percent of those infected with it, after Equatorial Guinea announced its first outbreak of the disease, and the death of at least 9 people.
In January, there was talk about the future spread of “XBB.
Features of the next epidemic
Ahmed Salman, a professor of immunology at the University of Oxford in England, and a member of the AstraZeneca vaccine development team, is likely to see a “new epidemic” appear soon, referring to his prediction:
• The nature and current lifestyle.
Dealing with wildlife wrongly.
• Mobility and travel speed.
Targets the respiratory system
On the nature of this epidemic, Salman expects it to be “respiratory” similar to Corona and influenza of all kinds, based on facts that occurred in the past twenty years with the emergence of 3 respiratory diseases, namely: bird flu, swine flu, and severe seasonal influenza.
These types of epidemics are difficult to control, because they are spread by breathing, as a member of the AstraZeneca vaccine development team explains.
25 dangerous viruses
The founder of the Oncology Unit at the National Liver Institute in Cairo, Dr. Mohamed Ezz Al-Arab, talks about the presence of 25 dangerous viruses, any of which could lead to the emergence of a “new epidemic.”
In turn, it is likely that “the emergence of a new pandemic” caused by a virus from the Corona family and its mutations, which previously caused 3 epidemics, are:
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which started in Southeast Asia and spread to the rest of the world.
• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome 2012, and the number of injuries was limited, but the death rate was 30 percent.
• Covid-19: It appeared in Wuhan, China, in 2019, and spread to the world, infecting millions of people, and killing 7 million people, according to the announced data.
How is the world preparing for the “epidemic”?
Benefiting from the experience of dealing with the Corona virus, Ahmed Salman identifies the necessary means to limit the spread and effects of any new epidemic, including:
• Establish scientific centers for early detection of the virus and knowledge of its genetic makeup for the speedy production of a vaccine or treatment.
• Preparation for manufacturing the vaccine on a large scale.
• Investing in scientific research.
• Cooperation between the regulatory authorities in the world.
• Coordinating with international organizations to spread awareness to control the epidemic before it spreads.
more like a “nuclear threat”
According to Ezz Al-Arab, the seriousness of the threat of epidemic viruses is “similar to nuclear weapons,” citing the experience of the Corona virus and its victims.
In order for the world to realize this, he points out that during the next year, an international mechanism will be put in place to confront the “viral threat”, to be approved by the United Nations, and it includes the following vision:
• How to cooperate between countries.
• Oblige each country to immediately declare any “mysterious” disease or mutation of a known disease.
Epidemic Prevention Treaty
The foregoing is not enough, and accordingly Ezz calls on the Arabs to draw up a “treaty to prevent the spread of epidemics”, and to establish an agency specialized in this, which has the right to move around, and detect viruses in the sponsors of laboratories in all countries.
This is because so far, the place of origin of “Covid-19” has not been established, nor the main reason for its appearance.
Since the emergence of “Covid-19” (Corona), Washington and Beijing have been exchanging accusations of being behind its spread.
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