模联立场文件---全球传染病暴发预警和应对

respondingto epidemics

Position Paper

Delegates: Zhu Yang and …

School: Shanghai Foreign Language School

Country: Somalia

Committee: World Health Organization

Topic: Responding to Epidemics

For nearly a century, human beings have been subject to frequent epidemics. Especially when the new millennium unfolds, the challenge of emerging infections transcends national borders. Influenza A (H5N1), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and diseases that continue to re-emerge such as cholera, drug-resistant malaria, and dengue can expand rapidly from local to regional or global threats. There is no denying that over the past several decades mankind has improved a lot in medicine and many pandemics have been roughly under control in some developed countries. But such is not true in many developing countries. It might be known to all that Somalia is still a big victim of pandemics because of its extreme backwardness in economy, health conditions, political conflicts, and especially its shortage of medicine and clean water.

WHO is playing a leading role in world health improvement and safeguarding. And all parts of the world should owe a lot to Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network, built by WHO, for its wonderful contribution of preventing and responding to outbreaks of severe epidemics. But the outbreak of SARS in 2003 also exposed its severe defects in systematic practice. Now after SARS, many people fear that AVIAN INFLUENZA has become a major villain among the epidemics. With the H5N1 avian flu virus spreading globally, many people may ask, “Can we contain the outbreak at its beginning and avert a flu pandemic?” The resurgence and high frequency of it has renewed scientists’ fears that the virus could mutate into a form that is easily spread from human to human.

Somali holds that in responding to these global epidemics all nations should work along to cooperate. And what we want to highlight is: First, every country, especially developed ones, should be dedicated to carrying out a longitudinal study of a particular pathogen to make some breakthroughs. Second，more measures should be taken to strengthen the medical systems in developing countries with the full support of developed nations.

Somalia is one of the most undeveloped countries and the most epidemic-stricken areas in the world. According to the latest statistics given by WHO, in 2011, just one hospital in the capital Mogadishu reported 4272 cholera patients in 1 month and 181 were killed, most of whom are kids below 5. To make matters worse, malaria is rampant in the country. Each year, about 800,000 people die of malaria globally and nearly 700,000 are from Somalia.

Indeed we haven’t done enough to respond to global pandemics and that is the big problem. But the backwardness of health conditions and harsh environment is really frightening in the country. There are about 9.5 million people in Somalia, but there is only one state-owned hospital and 65 private clinics in the capital city. The country is confronted with great shortage of medicine; only less than 1/3 people can

respondingto epidemics

get health care and 75% can’t get clean water. The average life span in Somalia is only 47, the death rate of children as high as 25%. So to some strict extent, Somalia has no ability to respond to global pandemics as there are no medical facilities and technology. There is desperate need of medical system construction.

As in today’s global world, no single country can deal with pandemics alone. Firstly, Somalia hopes that it can join the world in strengthening cooperation in responding to the global public health crisis. Developed countries, with their advanced technology, should be devoted to carrying out a longitudinal study of a particular pathogen to make some breakthroughs and share the information with the developing countries. Secondly, the developed countries should maintain and increase their support to the health sector of the developing countries to help them diminish the outbreaks of epidemics. Thirdly, we should establish a sound public health system globally, for example, bring Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network into full play and build a friendly linkage.

No matter what happens, Somalia will stay and collaborate with WHO and UN in the interests of human beings and do what we could in the temporary situation. Maybe we can’t be the best, but we’ll make our people live better and better with each passing day. And we believe with our sincere cooperation and mutual support, we can put the epidemics under relative control and shape a beautiful tomorrow.