UAE leads global fight against epidemics

At a time when India is groaning under the intolerable weight of casualties from the coronavirus, some countries have been kind enough to lend a helping hand, particularly the US and UK. Even neighbour Pakistan has pitched in.

However, the one nation that shines in philanthropy amid all this is the UAE. It has asserted that it stands by India, ready to offer any kind of assistance to help tackle the coronavirus crisis that seems to be going out of control in that country.

The UAE has affirmed that it stands in full solidarity with the Republic of India amidst the resurgence in COVID-19 cases and the challenging health situation in the country.

The situation is quite dire. For the fourth straight day, India on Sunday set a global daily record of new coronavirus infections, spurred by an insidious new variant that has emerged.

The 349,691 confirmed infections over the past day brought India’s total to more than 16.9 million cases, behind only the United States. The Health Ministry reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing India’s fatalities to 192,311.

The unfolding crisis is most visceral in India’s overwhelmed graveyards and crematoriums, and in heartbreaking images of gasping patients dying on their way to hospitals due to lack of oxygen.

Burial grounds in the capital New Delhi are running out of space. Bright, glowing funeral pyres light up the night sky in other badly hit cities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in a statement, expressed its condolences to the government and people of India over the coronavirus deaths and wished a speedy recovery to the ill.

It is not just coronavirus that the UAE is bent on wiping out totally, it has also launched a war against other epidemics. The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has highlighted the UAE’s tremendous efforts being made in support of the international efforts to reduce global malaria incidence and mortality rates by at least 90% by 2030.

In a statement to mark “World Malaria Day,” which took place on Sunday under the theme “Zero Malaria - Draw the Line Against Malaria,” MoHAP stated that the UAE remains at the forefront of world countries in the fight against the spread of epidemics with a brilliant record of achievements locally and globally. The ministry added, “Not only that but the UAE is considered among the Middle East and North Africa’s (Mena) first countries to be declared a malaria-free country in 2007, something that confirms the state’s outstanding healthcare capabilities in its fight against communicable diseases, including coronavirus (COVID-19).”

The UAE is on the frontlines of combating the spread of epidemics globally.

The UAE celebrated the annual International Day of Epidemic Preparedness on 27th December, which was launched by the United Nations (UN) to promote the importance of preventive action against epidemics.

Humanitarian and financial initiatives provided by the UAE have played a key role in supporting health and medical programmes, implementing vaccination campaigns, and providing vaccines for many viral diseases around the world, most notably against Malaria, Cholera, Guinea Worm (Dracunculusmedinensis) and Poliomyelitis.

The UAE was among the first countries to establish specialist centres for diseases and epidemics, known as “Coronavirus Control Centres,” which are cooperating with all relevant authorities to be always prepared and draft strategic plans to combat epidemics.

Since 1990, the UAE’s leadership has been committed to supporting the efforts to eliminate diseases that threaten mankind. The Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was among the first to support these efforts, and his legacy is now being continued by the country, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.