The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday has emphasized on a stronger effort by the government and society in the South-East Asia Region to control COVID-19 pandemic.
Issuing a press statement, the regional office of WHO in South-East Asia pointed that nearly 1.5 billion people - in Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand together - are currently experiencing lockdowns, and said that impact of these measures will be seen in the coming weeks.
“A more comprehensive approach is needed with communities at the center of our response. Most importantly, communities need to be engaged and empowered to take appropriate decisions and measures. The onus must be on each one. At this stage, everyone needs to contribute to minimize health as well as socio-economic impact of the pandemic,” the statement quotes Regional Director of WHO for South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh as saying.
The WHO has also called this an opportunity for countries to enhance capacities of their health systems. "As physical distancing measures take effect and capacities are built, whatever the transmission scenario, with the right approach the virus can be contained. In areas where community transmission occurs, it can be suppressed and controlled," Dr Singh is quoted as adding. “Every case, cluster and evidence of community transmission would need to be aggressively responded to. Basic public health measures such as active case detection, isolation, testing, treatment and contact tracing are among our most powerful tools. A strong surveillance is needed to assess and guide evidence based measures.
The statement revealed that Dr Singh held a virtual meeting with health ministers of the region to review the challenges. "Most countries highlighted the need for essential medical equipment, testing kits, personal protective equipment for health workers and enhancing health systems capacities, specially to respond to community transmission," the statement states.
