Who Hungary
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Diva CarissaWho Hungary
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Diva CarissaPOSITION PAPER
Committee : World Health Organization
Topic : Global Public Health in response to
Coronavirus outbreak
Country : Hungary
Delegate : Diva Carissa Octaviani
The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) has led to a serious outbreak of often severe
respiratory disease, which originated in China and has quickly become a global pandemic, with
far-reaching consequences that are unprecedented in the modern era. In December 2019,
scientists identified a novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) that was associated with an outbreak of
pneumoniain Wuhan, China, and that was suspected of being zoonotic in origin. It is well
known, that coronaviruses are circulating in animals and others in humans. In a matter of weeks,
over 100,000 of cases and thousands of deaths were confirmed globally, with numbers rapidly
increasing daily. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General
designated the COVID-2019 outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern”
under Intenational Health Regulations (2005). The outbreak was associated epidemiologically to
the Huanan Seafood Wholesale market (a wholesale fish and live animal market selling different
animal species) in Wuhan, and the market was subsequently closed for environmental sanitation
and disinfection. As part of the epidemiological investigation, active case finding was initiated.
Signs and symptoms include respiratory symptoms, including fever, cough, and shortness
of breath. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory
syndrome, and sometimes death. WHO is working closely with experts, governments and
partners around the world to rapidly expand scientific knowledge on this new virus and provide
timely advice on measures to protect people’s health and prevent the spread of this outbreak.
Hungary was confirmed first case COVID-19 on March 4, 2020. On 11 March the
Hungarian Government declared a state of emergency due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
epidemic. According to the Hungarian Constitution, in a state of emergency the government
may, through its decrees, suspend laws, deviate from laws and implement exceptional emergency
measures. The decrees issued during the emergency need parliamentary approval to stay in force
after 15 days. On 13 March ten action groups were set up (Educational Action Group, Action
Group for the Construction of an Epidemic Mobile Hospital, Action Group for Essential
Businesses, International Coordination Action Group, Communication Action Group,
Extraordinary Legal Order Acton Group, Financial Action Group, and an Action Group for the
restart of the Economy, a Research Action Group and a Border Control Group).
Responding to this, Hungary takes action by issuing several policies to overcome the
effects arising from the coronavirus:
1. Preventing Transmission, this policy includes information on key public health
measures that aim to prevent the further spread of the disease. It details how hungary are
advising the general public and people who (might) have the disease to prevent further
spread, as well as measures in place to test and identify cases, trace contacts, and monitor
the scale of the outbreak. Including Health communication, Physical distancing, Isolation
and quarantine, Monitoring and surveillance, also Testing.
2. Ensuring sufficient physical infrastructure and workforce capacity, is crucial for
dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, as there may be both a surge in demand and a
decreased availability of health workers. The section considers the physical infrastructure
available in a country and where there are shortages, it describes any measures being
implemented or planned to address them. It also considers the health workforce,
including what countries are doing to maintain or enhance capacity, the responsibilities
and skill-mix of the workforce, and any initiatives to train or otherwise support health
workers.
3. Providing health services effectively, it describes approaches for service delivery
planning and patient pathways for suspected COVID-19 cases. It also considers efforts by
countries to maintain other essential services during periods of excessive demand for
health services. Including Planning services, Managing cases, Maintaining essential
services.
Hungary believes that an unnecessary proliferation of COVID-19 resolutions did
not help find effective solutions to the crisis. Thus, We should really focus on tangible
measures and improved in the upcoming assembly.
REFERENCES
1. Garfin, D. R., Silver, R. C., & Holman, E. A. (2020). The novel coronavirus (COVID-
2019) outbreak: Amplification of public health consequences by media exposure. Health
Psychology, 39(5), 355-357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/hea0000875
2. Mackenzie, J. S., & Smith, D. W. (2020). COVID-19: a novel zoonotic disease caused by
a coronavirus from China: what we know and what we don't. Microbiology Australia,
MA20013. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1071/MA20013
3. ECDC. (2020) Risk assessment: Outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome associated with
a novel coronavirus, Wuhan, China; first update
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/novel-coronavirus-risk-
assessment-china-31-january-2020_0.pdf
4. World Health Organization. (2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak: rights,
roles and responsibilities of health workers, including key considerations for occupational
safety and health: interim guidance, 19 March 2020. World Health
Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331510. License: CC BY-NC-SA
3.0 IGO
5. Gaal, P., Velkey, Z., & Szerencses, V. (n.d.). Policy Responses. Retrieved November 01,
2020, from https://www.covid19healthsystem.org/countries/hungary/countrypage.aspx
