In this day and age, the movement of people and goods is made easier and faster owing to the advent of cutting-edge modes of transportation, so is the spread of deadly disease outbreaks.
The latter has been introducing unprecedented challenges in the global community’s efforts of accomplishing mutual interdependence and interconnectivity. Technological advancements being made in all the means of transportation have been cutting short travel time and cost significantly.
On the flip side, it has put to the test the global community’s capacity of preventing and containing deadly diseases ranging from “SARS (2002), H1N1 influenza (2009), MERS-CoV (2012), H7N9 influenza (2013) and Ebola (2014) Ebola, SARS to the recent fast spread of Corona virus.” (See page 1)
WHO has already declared the novel Coronavirus a global health emergency, and controversies are there whether it reached a pandemic level. Its impacts have visited many counties in major continents. The question is: Will communities with fewer healthcare services overcome such epidemics?
The answer does not require a tough mental flexing. They cannot. If such countries are hit by the deadly virus, it will end up being the worst scenario ever, God forbid that. Hence, governments and private entities should roll up their sleeves to double their information and resource sharing particularly among the developing countries which have limitations in healthcare services.
Our country, Ethiopia, in this regard is one of the developing countries. Yet, it is a country that has never shunned from helping communities during times of desperation. The pan-African airliner, Ethiopian, have still been stretching its wings in all of its gateways in China, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Hong Kong. In a statement, Ethiopian said it has been working “with the relevant Chinese and Ethiopian Authorities to protect passengers and its crew members from Corona Virus disease in full compliance with IATA, WHO, and CDC guidelines.” A friend in need is a friend indeed!
Be that as it may, all concerned bodies should join forces to prevent the spared of the deadly virus in counties that have a low health response system on one hand. And the collaboration must be doubled, tripled and even quadrupled with countries like Ethiopia that are always online during times of desperation, on the other.
The Ethiopian Herald Friday Edition, February 7/2020
