WHO Europe urges countries to take the long Covid seriously

Copenhagen 14th of September : At about 17 million people in the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region were affected by the post-Covid-19 illness, also known as prolonged Covid, in the first two years of the pandemic, according in a statement issued by the United Nations health agency.

"Governments as well as health partners must cooperate to find solutions based upon the latest research and evidence-based practices," said Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in the statement on Tuesday.

With the possibility of millions of people expected to suffer from the aftermath of getting Covid throughout the epidemic "for the next few years," WHO urged countries in the region to "take the post-Covid-19 condition seriously by investing urgently in research and rehabilitation, as well as recovery".The research findings, which span the years 2020-2021 were derived from an international "new modeling" study conducted by WHO Europe by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washingtons School of Medicine in the US, Xinhua news agency reported.

It reveals an "staggering 307-percent rise in the number of new long Covid cases that are identified between 2020 and 2021, fueled by the rapid rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases beginning in the end of 2020 and into 2021".The statement states that modeling also suggests that women are twice more likely than males to possess long Covid.

For severe cases of Covid-19 that require hospitalisation One in three females and one in five males are most likely to develop long Covid.The WHO defines the long Covid as "a collection of chronic symptoms that some sufferers experience after suffering from Covid-19, like breathlessness, fatigue, and cognitive impairment (for instance confusion, forgetfulness or an absence of clear and focused thinking)" "For this goal to be realized it is essential for all nations in the region to recognize that the long Covid is a major issue, with serious consequences and requires a swift response to prevent the lives of the affected people from getting less difficult." Kluge added.int/khz/ .