UN agencies should have pressed for making a vaccine against SARS or MERS

UN agencies should have pressed for making a vaccine against SARS or MERS

Dr K K Aggarwal

President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA

Two years back World Health Organisation speculated a disease called disease X which was likely to be the next pandemic.

As per the speculation it will originate from animals, will be less fatal but more contagious than normal flu.

When all public experts knew that there was a possibility of a corona like virus becoming the next pandemic, efforts could have been made by the International UN agencies in making a vaccine for SARS in 2012 itself.

We know that flu vaccine changes strain every year but even the previous strain is effective in reducing the severity of the new strain of virus.

If Coronavirus vaccine was available today it could have made the COVID 19 disease milder.

The time is still not lost, and a vaccine should be made against corona viruses which should be able to take care of SARS, MERS and COVID 19 like illnesses.

SARS and MERS were hit and run viruses and never came back. Probably that made the agencies not bother about them.