There is a possibility of another pandemic, either due to COVID-19 or other diseases, occurring in future. Influenza and zoonotic diseases are most likely to cause a pandemicJakarta (ANTARA) - The global community must take preventive steps against contagious and non-contagious animal-borne diseases from causing another global pandemic, Director of Postgraduate Studies of YARSI University Tjandra Yoga Aditama stated.
"There is a possibility of another pandemic, either due to COVID-19 or other diseases, occurring in future. Influenza and zoonotic diseases are most likely to cause a pandemic," Aditama noted at a virtual discussion on the global health architecture hosted by the Civil-20 (C20) on Tuesday.
According to the "A World at Risk" report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2019-2020, some viral diseases, such as Ebola, Zika, and Dengue, might cause an epidemic if no containment measures are taken, he stressed.
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The expert then called on G20 members to expedite their efforts as a precautionary measure against pandemics in future by enhancing the global leadership role in bolstering multi-sectoral coordination to tackle the pandemic potential.
The global community must enhance WHO's independence, authority, and financial standing while boosting global investment in establishing firm national-, regional-, and global-scale health capabilities, he added.
"As military troops would always be training to face a future war, multi-sectoral coordination also needs to be enhanced apart from the global health capabilities. I see that we are lacking on this aspect, and we need to promptly remedy this," Aditama stated.
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The academic also called on the G20 community to develop an international system and infrastructure to monitor and notify the community about the likely pandemic threat as well as a platform to negotiate on health equipment and supply.
"We must learn from our past experiences regarding the lack of medicines and oxygen supplies as a precautionary measure against a future pandemic," he remarked.
The development of a global-level scheme to finance global health is a must, as asserted by President Joko Widodo's statement that highlighted the need for a global financial scheme for the public health sector, he affirmed.
Aditama also highlighted the need to develop a high-level national coordination platform for pandemic mitigation and response.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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