Countries from Canada to Chile should strengthen their health systems to cope with the rising number of deaths from the coronavirus and the growing threats from other infectious diseases, including monkeypox, viral hepatitis and flu, a top World Health Organization official said Wednesday.
“We face multiple risks at the same time,” says Dr. Carisse Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, the regional arm of WHO. “Countries must adapt their capacity and direct sufficient resources and personnel to help.”
There were 14 percent more deaths related to Covid-19 in America last week than the week before, said Dr. Etienne during a conference call with reporters. New case reports have risen for six consecutive weeks, she added.
At the same time, several Latin American countries have reported unexpectedly high numbers of flu cases and hospitalizations, said Dr. Etienne. Other countries have recorded spikes in RSV, a respiratory virus that often affects young children.
The recent monkeypox outbreak also deserves attention, even if the risk to the general population remains low: Dr. Etienne said the outbreak should be “limitable” if appropriate measures are taken. Vaccines and treatments are available for the virus, which is believed to spread primarily through close contact with an infected animal or person.
For these other viruses, Dr. Etienne, governments should redouble their vaccination efforts, monitor hospital occupancy closely and increase their disease surveillance efforts.
“We have the expertise to treat people affected by these viruses,” she said. “We have to use all the resources we have.”