The World Health Organisation on Monday said that the world will inevitably encounter another epidemic of flu and needs to prepare for the devastation it could cause, and not underestimate the risks.h
However, enumerating a global plan to control the viral disease and overcome the potential global outbreak, the WHO says that the next influenza epidemic "is a matter of when, not if."
The WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement said, "the threat of pandemic influenza is ever present, therefore we must be vigilant and prepared as the cost of a major influenza outbreak will by far outweigh the price of prevention."
Flu viruses are multiple and changes over time, and they infect around a billion people every year all over the world in seasonal outbreaks. Besides, out of these infections, around 3 to 5 million people have severe cases, leading to between 290,000 and 650,000 seasonal flu-related respiratory deaths.
Consequently, as vaccines can help prevent some cases, WHO has recommended annual vaccination particularly for people working in health care centers and for susceptible people such as the old, the very young and people with underlying illness.
The two main goals of WHO are to enhance worldwide capacities for surveillance and response by encouraging governments to develop a national flu plan and to create better tools such as vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent, detect, control and treat flu.
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