Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks after Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the 148th Session of the Executive Committee on Coronavirus Disease (COVID- 19) Geneva, Switzerland, January 21, 2021.
Christopher Black | WHO | through Reuters
The Covid-19 pandemic caused mass trauma on a larger scale than World War II, and the impact will last “many years from now,” the top official of the World Health Organization said on Friday.
“After World War II, the world suffered mass trauma because World War II affected many, many lives. And now, even with this larger Covid pandemic, more have been affected. lives, ”said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom. Ghebreyesus said at a news conference on Friday. “Almost the whole world is affected, every individual on the surface of the world has actually been affected.”
“And that means mass trauma, which is beyond measure, even greater than what the world experienced after World War II,” he added, noting the effect on mental health. “And when there is mass trauma, it affects communities for many years to come.”
His comments came in response to a question about whether countries should take more into account the impact of the pandemic on the economy and mental health as it moves forward. Tedros’ deputies stressed that mental health should be given priority.
“The answer is absolutely yes,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO unit for emerging diseases and zoonoses. “There are variations in the impact that this has had on individuals, whether you have lost a loved one, or a family member or a friend because of this virus. Whether you have lost your job, children who they were not at school, people who are forced to stay at home in very difficult situations. “
Kerkhove added that the world is still in the “acute phase” of the pandemic, when the virus penetrates communities, killing tens of thousands every week. She added, however, that the mental health number of the pandemic will appear to be a major long-term problem, saying that “much more emphasis needs to be placed on governments, communities, families, individuals to take care of welfare. “
Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergency Program, urged people not only to highlight the mental health problems of the pandemic, but also to discuss solutions.
“It’s one thing to say that mental health is and that psychological health is under pressure – it’s true – but the opposite must be what we do to support and provide psychosocial support to people and communities,” he said.