The World Health Organisation is looking to bring in experts to treat a new epidemic in the market; Loneliness. The experts will join its newly announced technical advisory group on the topic which will address the unanswered questions on the rising loneliness amongst people. This comes after many countries including the United States have declared ‘loneliness’ as an epidemic in their respective regions.

According to the UN nodal agency on public health, the experts will assist in finding strategies that will be applied to reframe the issue as a worldwide public health concern. Even the WHO had earlier formed a panel to address the issue of social isolation and loneliness affecting people.

WHO

The WHO has stated that people suffering from social isolation or loneliness, which are symptoms of a lack of social connections, are affected negatively when it comes to their mental and physical health. WHO has also said that people from ages can be impacted from this epidemic, which increases the risk of suicide and death by almost 25-30%. This increased risk of death is greater than that connected to problems such as obesity, lack of exercise and smoking.

"A very minuscule percentage of old people are digitally literate today and remain self-conscious about it. This is widening the gap between generations and leading to an uncomfortable undercurrent within the four walls of almost every family across the country," Agewell Foundation founder, Himanshu Rath said.

A recent survey by Agewell in 2021 among 10,000 senior citizens found out that there was a significant increase in a sense of loneliness or social isolation amongst the respondents. Surveys and publications have since confirmed the need and importance of bridging the digital divide and generation gap. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently called for more inclusive policies, strategies, and activities in order to achieve digital equality for people of all ages.

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