WHO Declares Loneliness a Global Threat to Humanity
The World Health Organisation has declared loneliness an urgent global threat to human health, The Guardian writes with reference to the WHO report.
The organisation compared the harm from loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
The WHO has created an international commission on loneliness, headed by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and African Union Youth Diplomat Chido Mpemba. The commission also includes 11 other human rights activists and government officials.
It is reported that the problem of loneliness has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has halted people's economic and social activity. Their level of loneliness has increased.
"Loneliness knows no borders and is becoming a global public health issue affecting all aspects of health, well-being and development. Social isolation knows no age or borders," said Chido Mpemba, African Union Youth Diplomat.
According to US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the health risks of loneliness are equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The harm from it is even greater than from obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
He also noted that every fourth elderly person in the world experiences social isolation. This increases the risk of dementia by 50% and coronary artery disease or stroke by 30%.
The study also showed that between 5% and 15% of adolescents are lonely. According to other data, in Africa, the number is 12.7%, and in Europe, 5.3%.
According to the study, young people who feel lonely at school are more likely to drop out of university. Feeling disconnected and unsupported at work can lead to lower productivity.
The WHO Commission on Loneliness will work for three years.
As earlier reported, the threat of new strains of COVID-19 is approaching. First of all, the danger lies in the novelty of these strains, in particular the so-called HV.1 variant. Our immunity, whether it comes from previous infections or vaccinations a year or two ago, is more in line with the older variants of the COVID-19 virus. Consequently, our resistance to these new strains is weakened, which is a serious problem. Although the latest versions of vaccines work quite well, they were developed mainly against the Omicron variant identified in autumn 2021.