The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
platforms spanning newspaper print
operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a
leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national
and international interest.
Health security relies on tackling evolving virus mutations. [File Courtesy]
Picture this: a disease outbreak is reported in a city in East Asia. Within a month, the world is in panic as infections spread rapidly and deaths mount. Three months later, the disease reached Kenya. A raft of measures follows: empty classrooms, sluggish markets, closed places of worship, paralysed tourism, shortages of medical supplies, and the loss of both lives and livelihoods.
This was the story of COVID-19. It is also a familiar pattern whenever infectious diseases are not prevented, detected and controlled early. It could be cholera, anthrax, Ebola virus disease or kala-azar. A health shock, left unchecked, quickly mutates into an economic, social and even national security crisis.
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