The World Health Organizations response to health catastrophes, ranging from COVID-19 to cholera, is "overstretched," according to a senior advisor on Tuesday.

He stated that the program is overburdened since the number and complexity of situations have escalated.

As of March of this year, the WHO responded to 53 high-level crises, including illnesses such as COVID-19, cholera, and a Marburg epidemic in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, as well as humanitarian disasters such as the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and floods in Pakistan.

Floods and cyclones are becoming more frequent due to climate change, all of which have adverse health repercussions. The WHO and member states attempt to improve how the organization and nations respond to health emergencies while strengthening the WHOs financing.

Member states agreed on a new budget on Monday, including a 20% increase in required fees.

The study also urged the WHO to look for methods to improve efficiency, such as four separate emergency teams responding to cholera, COVID-19, polio, and floods in ways that may have overlapped.

(Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/who-overstretched-response-increasing-health-emergencies-2023-05-23/)