Mike Ryan - The African Mirror

Jun

2021

Africa COVID trajectory is ‘very concerning’

THE trend of COVID-19 cases in Africa is very concerning, a senior World Health Organization official has said. Absolute numbers do not make Africa look in bad shape, said Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergency expert, adding that in the last week it had recorded just over 5% of global cases and 2.2% of deaths. But given the level of underdiagnosis, he told a news conference: "It's a trajectory that is very, very concerning."

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Now is not time to relax, warns WHO

COVID-19

THE arrival of COVID-19 vaccines should not tempt countries to relax efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, top World Health Organization officials has warned, citing particular concern about the situation in Brazil. "We think we're through this. We're not," Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergency expert, told an online briefing. "Countries are going to lurch into third and fourth surges if we're not careful."

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

WHO worried COVID “amnesia” will lead to another pandemic

COVID-19

THE world risked future pandemics if it suffered "amnesia" and did not learn from the current coronavirus crisis, a World Health Organization's top emergency expert has warned. "I have seen the amnesia that seems to descend upon the world after a traumatic event, and that's understandable," Mike Ryan told a briefing in Geneva. "But if we do this again like we did after SARS, like we did after H5N1, like we did after H1N1 pandemic, if we continue to ignore the realities of what emerging and dangerous pathogens can do to our civilization, then we are likely to experience the…