World Bank Pandemic Fund Must End ‘chronic Underinvestment’ In Animal Health
Members and supporters of the Action for Animal Health coalition have published an open letter calling on the World Bank to include provisions for animal health services within its G20-backed Pandemic Fund.
The fund was launched on Sunday 13 November to coincide with this year’s G20 Bali Summit, where global leaders are expected to discuss pandemic prevention, preparedness and response measures. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed large weaknesses and under investment in previous measures, which the fund looks to address.
Signatories of the letter include Brooke, Four Paws, the Preventing Pandemics at the Source secretariat, and Vétérinaires Sans Frontières International (VSF), who state that the fund must look beyond surveillance and ensure that there is investment in the strengthening of all health systems.
An estimated 60% of known infectious diseases and up to 75% of new or emerging infectious diseases come from animals. As the letter concludes, “The World Bank’s Pandemic Fund will only truly support preventing future pandemics if it invests in the strengthening of all health systems from the ground upwards.”
Read the full letter here - https://actionforanimalhealth.org/open-letter-to-the-world-bank-pandemic-fund-governing-board/
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