WHO calls for urgent Ebola action

On May 23, the World Health Organization closed its 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva with a warning that recent outbreaks had exposed continued gaps in global readiness. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, said Ebola in Central Africa and a recent hantavirus cluster showed the world remained vulnerable to fast-moving infectious disease threats. (news.un.org) Member states ended the week after adopting more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions across a broad health agenda. WHO and UN accounts of the closing session also pointed to continued work on pandemic preparedness and emergency response. ### Why did Tedros focus on Ebola at the close of the meeting? (who.int) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday that new Ebola developments in Uganda had sharpened the urgency of the assembly’s final message. In a social media update cited by UN News, he said Ugandan authorities had confirmed three new cases of Bundibugyo Ebola — a health worker, a driver and a Congolese national who had traveled from Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for medical care. That brought Uganda’s total confirmed cases to five. WHO had already declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17. (news.un.org) UN News reported that, as of May 16, authorities had recorded eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri province, with additional confirmed cases in Kinshasa and Uganda. WHO said no approved vaccines or specific treatments currently exist for the Bundibugyo strain. ### What did WHO say about the broader outbreak risk? The WHO said the Ebola outbreak underscored the need for faster cross-border coordination and stronger surveillance. (news.un.org) UN News reported that WHO raised the national risk assessment for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high,” while keeping the global risk assessment low. In Kampala, WHO held a two-day high-level ministerial meeting on cross-border coordination involving Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, according to UN News. Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO Africa’s director of emergency preparedness and response, said stronger surveillance and preparedness systems were critical because “time saves lives” during outbreaks. (news.un.org) ### Why was hantavirus part of the warning? WHO’s warning also referred to a hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel that the agency reported earlier this month. WHO said on May 4 that seven cases — two laboratory-confirmed and five suspected — had been identified aboard a Dutch-flagged cruise ship, including three deaths. (news.un.org) The vessel had 147 passengers and crew and was moored off Cabo Verde as of May 4. WHO said the global risk from that hantavirus event was low, but described the illness as rare, severe and potentially deadly. The agency said investigations were continuing and noted that limited human-to-human transmission has been reported in previous Andes virus outbreaks. (news.un.org) ### What did member states actually adopt in Geneva? The World Health Assembly said member states adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions during the week. WHO’s May 23 daily update listed issues including stroke, liver disease, tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, diagnostic imaging, emergency care, haemophilia, precision medicine and radiation. (who.int) On May 22, the assembly also agreed to establish a member state-led, WHO-hosted joint process to develop options and recommendations for reform of the global health architecture. WHO said the process is intended to address fragmentation, duplication and changing health risks, and asked Tedros to submit a final report to next year’s World Health Assembly. (who.int) ### What happened on Palestine-related resolutions? WHO documents for the assembly show two separate agenda items on health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, and on health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory. (who.int) Committee B’s second report said it recommended adoption of one resolution as amended under item 17.2 and decisions under item 17.1. WHO’s May 22 update said delegates agreed to continue reporting on health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, to the next World Health Assembly. (who.int) WHO’s background documents for those agenda items said the humanitarian crisis had continued to place healthcare services under severe pressure despite the October 2025 ceasefire. A WHO emergency appeal published earlier this year said 2.9 million people in the occupied Palestinian territory would require humanitarian health assistance in 2026. ### What comes next after this assembly? The 80th World Health Assembly is the next formal checkpoint for several of the decisions taken in Geneva. WHO said Tedros is due to present a final report with options and recommendations on reforming the global health architecture to next year’s assembly, while reporting on health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory is also set to continue in that forum. (apps.who.int) (who.int) (apps.who.int)