BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – The health ministers of the seven leading industrialized countries (G7) want to achieve a faster fight against global health crises. To this end, concepts should be developed so that an outbreak of disease does not lead to a pandemic in the first place, said Federal Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) at a meeting with his counterparts in Berlin on Thursday. It is about clear responsibilities, the networking of specialists and quickly available financing. In order to derive concrete steps, the ministers wanted to deal with a scenario in which a smallpox pandemic threatens to develop from a leopard bite.
Lauterbach emphasized that the corona pandemic was not over yet. After a joint meeting with the G7 development ministers, the German head of department Svenja Schulze (SPD) said the pandemic would only be defeated when it was really defeated all over the world. There is finally enough corona vaccine. The G7 countries wanted to use help with transport or material such as syringes to ensure that it could also be used in poorer countries.
Lauterbach also again assured Ukraine support for medical care in the Russian war of aggression. Increasing health problems as a result of climate change should also be topics for the G7 health ministers at the two-day deliberations. In addition, there is a stronger fight against antibiotic resistance, i.e. that antibiotics are no longer effective in treatments.
This year Germany holds the presidency of the G7 group, which also includes the USA, Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy and Japan./sam/DP/eas