Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks to dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the 148th session of the Executive Council on the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). Geneva, Switzerland, January 21, 2021.
Christopher Swart | WIE | via Reuters
The Covid-19 pandemic caused mass trauma on a larger scale than World War II, and the impact will “last for many more years”, the World Health Organization’s top official said on Friday.
“After World War II, the world experienced mass trauma because World War II affected many, many lives. And now, even with this Covid pandemic, on a larger scale, more lives have been affected,” said WHO director Tedros Adhanom. , touched. Ghebreyesus said at a news conference on Friday. “Almost the entire world is affected, every individual on the surface of the world is actually affected.”
“And that means mass trauma, which is disproportionate, even greater than what the world experienced after World War II,” he added, noting the effect on mental health. “And if there is mass trauma, it will affect communities for many years to come.”
His comments come in response to a question of whether countries should consider the impact of the pandemic on the economy and mental health more as they show their way forward. Tedros’ deputies stressed that mental health must come first.
“The answer is absolutely yes,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit. “There are variations in terms of the impact it has had on individuals, whether you have lost a loved one or a family member or friend to this virus. Whether you have lost your job, children who have not yet been to school, people who are forced to stay home in very difficult situations. ‘
Kerkhove added that the world is still in the “acute phase” of the pandemic, when the virus tears through communities and kills tens of thousands every week. However, she added that the toll on the mental health of the pandemic will be a major problem in the long run and says that there needs to be much more emphasis by governments, communities, families and individuals to look after us. wellbeing. ‘
Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergency Program, urged people not only to highlight the mental health toll of the pandemic as a problem, 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 it should also be the opposite of what we do to support people and communities and provide psychosocial support,” he said.