Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the UN agency’s acting director for pandemic preparedness, believes there is no doubt Europe will face another pandemic threat – most likely from the influenza virus
European nations must prepare themselves due to the “high risk” of a flu pandemic, according to a chief World Health Organization (WHO) official.
Acting director for pandemic preparedness, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, said it was a “certainty” that a threat of influenza will sweep through the continent “in our lifetimes”, adding that Covid-19 was not the last pandemic Europe has to face. Speaking on the WHO podcast Health in Europe, she said the future threat could cause unprecedented carnage.
However, the respected epidemiologist said that if the world uses the lessons learned during Covid-10, it “did not have to be as bad as it was”. She explained: “‘For me, flu is a certainty because it’s so much in circulation. It’s infected many different species. We have avian influenza and the opportunities for re-assortance [genetic changes to a virus that allow it to jump between species], the opportunities for a pandemic of influenza virus are high.
“That’s why we have a whole system in place to be prepared for this. The challenge is, will we see another coronavirus pandemic? Given that we had SARS-CoV-2 cause a pandemic, for sure, this is an opportunity. The question is, will we see an Arbovirus pandemic?” The Arbovirus class are infections that are transmitted through the bite of an insect carrying the infection. She added: “Now, I’m not saying this to scare people who are listening to this, but for us, it’s something that we have to be prepared for.
“So, we have to think out of the box. Really prepare for what are the known threats, but also think out of the box for something different, perhaps waterborne or whatnot. So for me, pandemics, unfortunately, are part of what we will deal with in our lifetimes. I don’t believe this will be the last pandemic we will deal with in our lifetimes.”
Scientists have long assumed that bird flu would be the most likely candidate for a pandemic-triggering virus due to its threat of recombination – when two viruses merge to create a hybrid strain. Others say it could be disease X – a hypothetical and as yet unknown pathogen – which would come from an animal to human bacterial or viral transmission.
It comes as the WHO lamented the failure of world leaders to agree to a global response plan for a future pandemic. After COVID-19 triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. In 2021, member countries asked the UN health agency to oversee negotiations to figure out how the world might better share scarce resources and stop future viruses from spreading globally.
On Friday, Roland Driece, co-chair of WHO’s negotiating board for the agreement, acknowledged that countries were unable to come up with a draft. WHO had hoped a final draft treaty could be agreed on at its yearly meeting of health ministers starting Monday in Geneva. “We are not where we hoped we would be when we started this process,” he said, adding that finalizing an international agreement on how to respond to a pandemic was critical “for the sake of humanity.”
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
