Topic: Pandemic Flu
Country: Mozambique
Delegate Name: Ben Silverman
School: Roeper School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Mozambique position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
The World Health Organization has been a great source for ideas bringing hope and reasoning for countries throughout the world. Mozambique feels it is in order that the WHO is used for this situation at hand. A new virus has created great concern for Mozambique, as well as other countries. The virus known as swine flu, or technically called H1N1. More then 150 countries in the world have reported cases of H1N1, and it has caused over 6000 deaths globally.
Diseases have always been a problem for the Republic of Mozambique. As a country in a tropical climate, the types of diseases will vary and results can be drastic. Women and children are usually those who are most affected by diseases. Infant mortality rate is more than 10%. Poorer people, who make up over 80% of our population, are most drastically affected. The most crucial set back is that when the poor citizens can not work. This tragically sets back the economy and limits the development of the nation and its citizens’ wellbeing.
H1N1 should be treated carefully. One of the key factors of H1N1 is its ability to spread very quickly. Once a country has one case of H1N1 gone unnoticed, a massive surge of the virus will go from person to person, traveling quickly without any major symptoms. One source that has been very useful is education. In Mozambique, the average person goes to school for 1.5 years. We feel that with the knowledge of this virus, people become as frightened as the whole world has been while observing this virus take over populations within months.
The final accomplishment will be to keep all healthy people of a population away from the virus and end its spread. As for the ones infected with the virus, quick treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-diarrhea medicines and fluids can minimize the impact of the disease. Globally, money and effort towards research and distribution of vaccines to developing nations would be the most useful resources. Once any help through a vaccine or any drugs have been found or created, it is important that a foundation is in place for the distribution of the medicine.
Mozambique calls on all nations to urge the WHO to speed production of the H1N1 vaccine, and sanitary techniques to minimize the spread of the virus. We want to assure that developing nations are able to gain access to this medicine, not simply nations who are wealthy.
