Collective mindset on pandemics

Views from around the world. These opinions are not necessarily shared by Stuff newspapers.

The video conference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the other leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) to discuss a common response to the novel coronavirus is a welcome change from the global pattern of raising drawbridges.

Epidemiologists have predicted for years that pandemic influenza would be the most likely source of a global health crisis. These studies also called for an international response, arguing piecemeal national policies would be ineffective. Despite this, governments have responded with panicked isolation, often driven by political considerations. Earlier outbreaks, like Sars and Ebola, inspired international civil society initiatives, with limited success, but received only half-hearted interest from governments.

When the present crisis is over, the world needs a new collective mindset regarding pandemics. A multilateral surveillance and prevention health system should be the first priority. Consideration should be given to creating an international publicprivate partnership focused on vaccine development and coordinating emergency medical supply production, and protocols on cross-border movement of people and goods during a pandemic should be worked out. The present response has been marked by arbitrariness.