Evil health ‘trinity’
PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANISATION (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne wants countries continue vaccinating their populations, maintaining their surveillance programmes, using the protective face shields (masks) and maintaining social distancing as counter measures against COVID 19, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) called the ‘triple threat’.
Dr Etienne reminded that inoculation, face masks and social distance as strategies against the ‘evil trinity’ haunting the globe’s eight billion population are proven safety tools and should not be abandoned particularly in the run-up to the upcoming festive period, especially Christmas.
“The rise of a single respiratory infection is a cause for concern. When two or three start impacting a population concurrently, this should put us all on alert,” the PAHO Director counselled during a recent media briefing.
COVID-19 cases soared by 17 percent in PAHO countries over the past week, pushing up deaths in South and Central America. A reduction in testing may be hiding the true number of infections.
“The situation can change quickly,” she warned.
“Every time we become complacent with this virus, we run the risk of resurgence. We cannot lower our guard,” Etienne said at the press conference.
Meanwhile, cases of influenza in North America are rising and an out-of-season increase in cases in the Southern Cone is also being seen, particularly in Argentina and Uruguay, which is putting unexpected stress on health systems.
RSV infections have also spiked significantly, burdening health systems in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay and the United States, and having a particular impact on children and infants under the age of one.
Dr. Etienne highlighted that the strategies used to limit the spread of COVID-19, including mask-wearing and social distancing, also apply to other respiratory diseases, including RSV, for which there is currently no vaccine. Countries must also strengthen genomic surveillance of diseases and continue to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza.
This year, the PAHO Revolving Fund has procured 39.5 million vaccine doses against COVID-19, and 31 million influenza vaccines to Member States. “We have enough vaccines to keep us all safe. Let’s use them,” the Director urged. Addressing additional outbreaks in the Americas, Dr. Etienne reported that the cholera situation in Haiti has worsened, with over 700 confirmed cases since early October, 7,000 suspected cases, and 144 deaths.
PAHO continues to support Haiti in providing life-saving care to patients, deploying health workers and facilitating access to fuel for health facilities. Other countries must increase vigilance, she urged.
Monkeypox infections dipped, in most of the severely-affected countries, and Dr. Etienne urged other countries to continue engaging those who are most at-risk, “to drive cases to zero as quickly as possible.”
As far as polio is concerned, the PAHO Director reported no further cases in the region, though vaccination remains “historically low.”
“We must remember that polio spreads silently, and it has no cure or treatment,” she reminded.
“Vaccines are our best tool to prevent this disease,” she reiterated.
With the festive season beckoning, travel to visit family and friends will bourgeon, and people must remain vigilant about health threats and learn from the lessons of COVID-19, Dr. Etienne cautioned:
“We have the tools at our disposal to limit the impact of severe respiratory diseases, and we must continue to respond to these crises as a region.”
“Let’s not take these lessons for granted,” the PAHO Director counselled.
