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SEE World must be ready for the next pandemic, UN says on first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness | | UN News

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080922

One Health Approach 

WHO Video | WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the
International Day for Epidemic Preparedness

In a separate message, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the importance of a “One Health Approach”, which integrates human health, animal health and plant health, as well as environmental factors.

This is all the more important given that 75 per cent of new and emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic, caused by germs that spread between animals and people.

“Any efforts to improve human health are doomed unless they address the critical interface between human and animals,” said Dr. Tedros.

The head of WHO also urged countries to invest in preparedness capacity to prevent, detect and mitigate emergencies, and reiterated the importance of strong primary health systems as the foundation of universal health coverage as well as the “eyes and ears” of health systems everywhere.

“True preparedness is not just a job of the health sector, it requires an all-of-government and all-of-society approach,” he added.