For representational purposes (Photo | PTI)
For representational purposes (Photo | PTI)

Social media management crucial in COVID-19 fight, says scientist

The London-based doctor added that there is also an urgent need for innovation and improved protective equipment like better-equipped masks.

HYDERABAD: The world has to be prepared for many more potential pandemics like Coronavirus, which needs constant innovations in vaccines and real-time sharing of data, said Professor Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Piot, who was in the city to attend the BioAsia 2020, delivered a talk at HICC on ‘Managing Global Health Epidemic better - Lessons from Ebola’.  

Prof Piot, who co-discovered the Ebola virus and the presence of AIDS in Africa, says, “Managing social media during the time of such epidemics is as important as managing the virus. In the interest of the people, we need real-time sharing of information about the disease. This can help in controlling the epidemic.” Piot said that the Ebola virus teaches us a lot about controlling Coronavirus especially because the seasonal epidemics have become common.

While today’s, most deaths are due to cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases emergency will continue to be part of our human condition, he stated.

The London-based doctor added that there is also an urgent need for innovation and improved protective equipment like better-equipped masks. Stating that affordable medication is a major issue, Piot also said that an epidemic is looming in anti-microbial resistance diseases.

“We have not seen a new class of antibiotics in the last 20 years. There is an enormous need for innovation in that field. There should be global unity to develop new vaccines for epidemics even when there is no market for such vaccines.”

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