The lives versus livelihoods dilemma is stark on the African continent and requires a localised approach.
The island nation has sent around 1,200 healthcare workers largely to vulnerable African and Caribbean nations but also to rich European countries such as Italy that have been particularly hard hit by the novel coronavirus.
“This is not the time to be lax. Instead, we need to ready ourselves for a new way of living for the foreseeable future,” said Dr Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific.
The strict social distancing measures, including a near 11-week travel ban, appear to have paid off, and life is slowly getting back to normal in Wuhan, even as the virus devastates Europe and the US.
Many countries are sending aid and emergency workers to those in greatest need, as a spirit of cooperation takes hold internationally.
A joint effort will be required to overcome the potential spread of the pandemic on the African continent.
Initially, it seemed that only those with symptoms could spread the virus, but the research shows that asymptomatic carriers need to be addressed.
Frontline medics talk about how they are fighting the disease despite being short-staffed and overwhelmed by the growing number of patients around the world.
In Europe, there were more than 21,000 cases of measles and 35 deaths last year, a fourfold increase in cases compared to the previous year.
Brazil has launched a campaign to vaccinate more than 23 million people in response to a yellow fever outbreak that has killed more than 200 people, according to the country's Health Ministry.
Global HIV campaign to curb HIV virus could fail if millions of people do not receive life-saving drugs in Central and West Africa
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