GENEVA (apro).- The director of emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO), Michael Ryan, stated that it is a tragedy that children with cancer are dying in Mexico due to lack of treatment or medication.
Regarding the lack of cancer medications and treatments in public hospitals in the country, Ryan remarked that in various parts of the world, COVID-19 has revealed “enormous system inequalities,” with large differences between private and public health services, which he considered “very unfair.”
Michael Ryan pointed out that across the globe, the WHO has observed the impact on oncology services, both for outpatients and those in hospitals for essential treatment.
Regarding the development of the pandemic, which continues to rise in the country, Ryan acknowledged that “the situation in Mexico continues to be difficult with over 83,000 deaths.”
However, he praised the Ministry of Health for adjusting the figures regarding cases and deaths, which he viewed as a very positive gesture.
“Mexico needs to be commended for its transparency,” Ryan said about the new statistics that count people who meet the operational definition of a suspected case of a viral respiratory disease without a laboratory sample and who had contact in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms with a confirmed case or death.
The Irish expert lamented that health personnel, 60% of whom are women, have been greatly affected in the country by the pandemic and considered it very important to protect health personnel who continue on the front lines fighting the virus.
“Clearly, protecting health personnel is really important,” he indicated.
On the positive side, Ryan celebrated the traffic light system in the country and encouraged the government to continue with that system.
Herd immunity is not an option: Tedros
For his part, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that allowing the virus to circulate freely to achieve so-called herd immunity is not an option in this pandemic.
“Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy to respond to an epidemic, much less a pandemic. It is scientifically and ethically problematic,” Tedros stated.
“Giving free rein to a dangerous virus, which is not fully understood, is simply unethical. It is not an option,” he emphasized.
Tedros insisted that “the vast majority of people in most countries can contract the virus” and according to WHO estimates, less than 10% of the adult population has been infected.
Furthermore, Tedros stressed that “most people infected with the virus develop an immune response within the first few weeks, but we do not know if this response is lasting or if it varies from person to person.”
Lingering effects are a concern
Finally, the technical director for COVID-19 at the World Health Organization, Maria Van Kerkhove, reminded that more than one million people have died from the virus worldwide, but beyond the deaths, the WHO is also concerned about the lingering effects the virus has left on some patients.
“We are not only worried about cases, hospitalizations or deaths, but also the long-term impacts we are beginning to see in people who even experienced the disease with mild symptoms,” she warned.
“Now we are starting to see effects on the heart, brain, lungs or mental health,” stressed the expert, who called for not letting down our guard and continuing with basic care measures, hand hygiene, physical distancing, mask use, avoiding large crowds, and staying home if there are symptoms of COVID or flu.
With information from PROCESO:
