While Pakistan has had issues with its overall healthcare system, the country has managed to successfully ‘flattened the curve’ as it relates to new COVID-19 cases.

Across the globe approximately 27.5 million people have been infected by Covid-19 and reports indicate that as many as 900,000 or more have died since December 2019.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus touted seven countries including Pakistan, Italy, Thailand, Mongolia, Mauritius, and Uruguay at a recent press event. Tedros pointed to these countries as examples to the rest of the world in terms of how to deal with a global pandemic.

Dr. Tedros said, “Pakistan has used the infrastructure it developed in its fight against polio to tackle Covid-19”. “Community health workers who previously were used vaccinate children from polio, have been redeployed for contact tracing and monitoring”.

Tedros mentioned that Italy was among the countries to experience a very large outbreak. He then said that it was the dedication of health workers with unity and solidarity which he believed ultimately brought the outbreak under the control.

In Mongolia, where so far there have been no COVID related deaths or even cases reported, Terdos commended the government for reacting quickly and activating its State Emergency Committee back in January.

Dr. Tedros explained that Thailand has benefited from 40 years of a well-resourced public health and medical sector which are supported by strong leadership in Thailand.

The system there centers around trust and compliance. This is achieved using one million village health volunteers who communicate and build confidence with the people.

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‘Suicide Prevention Day’ occurs on September 10^th each year to highlight the ongoing issues of mental health and the increasing rates of suicides annually. The main objective is to raise awareness about suicidal symptoms that are often overlooked and help reduce suicidal attempts world-wide.

Depression and anxiety rates are increasing drastically and according to ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America), “Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.”

Sadly, the topic of suicide is still considered taboo in many parts of the world. As a result, there are a large number of people who don’t get the help they need in time.

This is why many suicide prevention campaigns have made it their mission to reach all areas.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is launching a campaign known as ‘40 seconds of action.’ The campaign begins today, and continuing until October 10, 2020 (World Mental Health Day).

Additionally, the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched a program called ‘You Are Not Alone.’ In this program, survivors share their stories and are able to feel the warmth of knowing that people stand beside them hand-in-hand.

One survivor who tells her story said, “I was in a dark place and I didn’t want anyone to look at me as if I were a ticking bomb. I feel relieved now knowing that I have people on whom I can depend… who cares for me; It’s all that I wanted.”

For anyone having issues related to depression or suicide can find help online at http://crisisservices.org/ – or by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

The most important thing to know is that there is help and there are free resources and people that care.

No matter how dark or pointless the situation may seem, there is help available – no one is alone.

The post Sept 10 is Suicide Prevention Day – Increasing Awareness and Offering Help appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.