Virus and Oneness Challenge
Current situation:
- The most recent increase in Covid-19 instances indicates that the epidemic is still ongoing. That has led to more inquiries about the ongoing flu outbreaks.
- A worldwide agreement on pandemic prevention, readiness, and response is currently being negotiated by nations and numerous organisations.
Response to a fresh Covid-19 variation:
- Covid XBB 1.16 looks to be the variation driving the rise, as is already fairly widely known, with occurrences nearly tripling over the past two weeks. There haven’t been any fatalities in India as of now.
- 76 samples of XBB 1.16 from eight states have tested affirmatively, with the majority of those samples coming from Maharashtra and Karnataka, states having more than 6,000 active cases at the moment.
- According to the WHO, 38 countries have identified XBB.1.5 as a variation of interest (VOI). It is expected to surpass other strains in the UK and Europe as it is also rapidly spreading in the US.
- Even those with a BA.5 infection and three or four doses of an mRNA vaccine (such as Moderna or Pfizer) were vulnerable to this variation.
- Israel may also be concerned by the discovery of an infectious BA.2 mutant pair with the BA.1 (Omicron) gene. The virus resided in the boy’s parents, where it collaborated with another virus and traded genetic material. In all respects, the present test positivity rate of 10% is alarming.
The COVID-19 and H3N2 influenza viruses are becoming more widespread:
- Together with the widespread increase in H3N2 influenza A illnesses and the at least nine recorded fatalities, Covid-19 is currently a cause for concern.
- Also, influenza B has been located. These two seasonal influenzas are increasing hospital admissions, especially for intensive care.
- Pregnant women, the elderly, people with chronic medical disorders, and people with immunological diseases are among the high-risk groups, similar to Covid-19.
- Healthcare professionals are especially vulnerable to getting sick and infecting the weak.
A global initiative to combat COVID-19:
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, the nations did not cooperate to timely report the Covid variation and to enable an efficient response from the international organisations.
- People are becoming more and more aware of how important local, national, and global governance is in determining the emergence and resurgence of diseases with an animal origin.
- A virus that may “jump” and become viable in a different species is referred to as a “spillover” in scientific lingo. To reiterate, influenza and the Covid-19 virus are both derived from animals.
- In December 2021, during its second-ever special session, the World Health Assembly began a worldwide effort to draught and negotiate a convention agreement to enhance pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The international negotiating body (INB), which is in charge of this process, is made up of the 194 WHO member countries.
- A “comprehensive, complementary, and synergistic collection of global health accords” will be in place once they are approved by the World Health Assembly in 2024.
- According to the WHO Director-General, this initiative represents a once-in-a-generation chance to build the global health infrastructure required to safeguard and enhance the wellness of everyone.
India’s role as the developing world’s representative on the G20 platform:
- It is anticipated that India, speaking for the Global South, will contribute to including equality issues in the ongoing negotiations.
- The three main equity elements have been identified by scholars.
- The first is the moral application, observance, and protection of indigenous knowledge, which has historically acknowledged the interdependence between the wellbeing of humans, other living things, and ecosystems.
- The second is the participation of women and historically marginalised minority groups in the formulation and application of treaties, including minorities of colour, race, and sexual orientation.
- The identification and development of measures for minimising the potentially unfair effects of epidemics are significantly impacted by the application of gender-based analysis and health equality.
Moving ahead:
- To connect and exchange information on infectious diseases in wildlife, domestic animals, livestock, people, the environment, and related risk factors, an integrated surveillance system for occupational health is required. Collaboration are needed to build and support this system.
- The state and district governance architecture in India will also need to include OH capacity and pandemic preparation monitoring and assessment that will rely on an inter-/transdisciplinary OH evaluation framework and methodology, including success indicators.
