BY MENGESTEAB TESHOME
Since the past two or three decades, our world has been experiencing a myriad of problems. Ranging from economic and political challenges to the effects of climate change, such as floods, droughts and hurricanes, as well as the emergence of new health threats, our world has been challenged hugely. Following the problems, the social and economic environment of the global community is disrupted and the health and wellbeing of human beings is threatened.
Especially, owing to that most of the pandemics being too contagious and too risky, and even their characters and occurrences being almost impossible to predict have cost the countries a lot and created confusion among those professionals engaging in the field.
Worse than that, the pandemics being unpredictable and appearing again and again after they have been at the point of declining has left the efforts made to control the viruses more demanding and unfruitful.
The outbreak of debilitating infectious diseases, such as SARS, the Zika virus diseases, the recent variants of COVID-19 and Monkeypox pandemics, among others can be mentioned in this regard.
Even though health professionals and scientist across the world have tried their level best, they could not yet deal with the matter at the desired level, overcome the health threats, and secure the wellbeing of global community. As a result, most of the pandemics, especially COVID-19, have continued threating the globe.
“We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations — one that is killing people, spreading human suffering, and upending people’s lives. But this is much more than a health crisis. It is a human, economic and social crisis. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has been characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), is attacking societies at their core,” as the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) stated once while expressing the severity of the pandemic and how overwhelming it is.
The situation is not different in Ethiopia. Even though the country has not been endangered by all health challenges, the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic has impacted it negatively. It has challenged its healthcare system, affected its people health, economy and their social patterns. In fact nowadays, the prevalence rate of the pandemic, its severity and burden, compared to the previous years, has lessened encouragingly.
Recently, the Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute held a joint press conference on the current status of COVID-19, Monkeypox, Malaria and measles.
Speaking on the occasion, Health State Minister Dr. Dereje Duguma said that almost 75 percent of Ethiopia’s landscape is suitable for the spread of malaria; and owing to this, 52 percent of the people living in these areas are vulnerable to the disease.
It was enabled to reduce the number of malaria cases from 1.7 million which was in 2020 to 1.2 million in 2021. However, in 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, it has shown an increment by 10.3 percent due to various reasons, he added.
According to the State Minister, following the activities carried out prioritizing prevention and control works, in the last three consecutive weeks, the case has declined at the national level. In the coming months, which are the most suitable periods for the spread of malaria, due attention will be paid and response activities will be strengthened to rid the extrinsic incubation period.
Mentioning the outbreak of measles in some areas where measles’ immunization coverage is low, the State Minister said that Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute joining hands with regional health bureaus and partners are undertaking rapid response activities.
According to Dr. Dereje, measles is one of the diseases that can bring about death, permanent disability (such as blindness) and serious illness on children. It is also one of the highly contagious and risky diseases. Thus, he urged all parents residing in urban and remote areas to take their children in health stations and immunize them against the virus.
He also urged all stakeholders and partners to increase their participation in the efforts exerted to prevent and control epidemics.
In his briefing with regard to COVID-19 and Monkeypox, Ethiopian Public Health Institute General Director Dr. Messay Hailu on his part said that since the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic at national level, the people have been facing an enormous challenges. Due to the pressure that the pandemic imposes, many people have gone through severe illnesses and many people passed away. Luckily, since January 2022, the wave of COVID-19 pandemic has been decreasing and the number of people infected by the virus has declined.
However, currently activities and inclinations that show negligence and delusions about the virus are witnessed among the people. Many people are displaying negligence in terms of exercising and complying with COVID-19 protocols assuming as if the pandemic is completely eradicated. In consequence, currently, the spread of the virus is increasing across the country and the number of COVID cases is augmenting. Thus, the community should adhere to the needed preventive measures and get vaccinated to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, the General Director advised.
While taking about the recently outbreak pandemic, Monkeypox, Dr. Messay said that so far, there is no recorded laboratory confirmed cases of Monkeypox pandemic in Ethiopia. However, so as to strengthen pandemic’s surveillance activities and mitigate the occurrences of the virus, samples are being taken from returnees who have shown some types of skin and other disease symptoms. Treatment and follow up activities are being carried out accordingly as precaution, he stated.
According to the recent information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been over 16,000 cases globally, including in 68 countries where the virus isn’t typically seen
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 29 JULY 2022
