WHO's Tedros warns Ebola, hantavirus

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus used the closing of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 23 to warn that Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks are exposing continued gaps in the world’s readiness for fast-moving disease threats. UN News reported that the WHO director-general called for urgent action on Ebola and renewed investment in pandemic preparedness as delegates wrapped up the six-day annual meeting. The warning came as the assembly closed after member states adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions on a wide range of health issues, according to WHO’s daily update. The backdrop was a fresh Ebola emergency in Central Africa and continued debate over how to finance WHO’s emergency work. ### Why did Tedros pair Ebola with hantavirus in his warning? Tedros said on May 23 that the two outbreaks were a reminder that countries remain vulnerable to infectious threats that can escalate quickly if surveillance, coordination and response capacity are weak, according to UN News. His remarks tied a current Ebola emergency to a broader preparedness message at the end of the assembly. (news.un.org) UN News reported that Tedros called for stronger global coordination, emergency response capacity and funding. WHO’s own assembly materials show that preparedness and response remained part of the formal agenda, including work on health emergencies and implementation of the International Health Regulations. ### What Ebola outbreak was he referring to? The World Health Organization said on May 17 that the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda had been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. (news.un.org) UN News said the declaration was based on rising cases, cross-border spread and uncertainty about the scale of the epidemic. Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO’s emergency director for Africa, said in a separate UN News report that speed in the first days of the response is essential to interrupt transmission and prevent wider spread. (news.un.org) That report said WHO viewed experience from the 2018-2020 outbreak in the same region as an operational asset, even in a difficult security environment. ### What was happening at the assembly in Geneva? (news.un.org) The 79th World Health Assembly ran from May 18 to May 23 in Geneva, according to WHO’s media resources page. WHO’s May 23 daily update said member states adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions covering issues that included tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, emergency care and precision medicine. (news.un.org) WHO’s assembly documentation shows health emergencies, the International Health Regulations and follow-up work on the Pandemic Agreement were all before member states this year. WHO says the Pandemic Agreement itself was adopted in May 2025 and will open for signature after adoption of a related annex under Article 12. ### Why does financing keep surfacing in the preparedness debate? (who.int) WHO’s emergency and preparedness agenda is colliding with budget pressure. Health Policy Watch reported that WHO has been dealing with deep staffing and funding constraints tied to its 2026-2027 budget, including projected cuts and financing gaps that could affect operations. That financial strain forms part of the context for Tedros’s call for action now rather than after a wider crisis takes hold. (apps.who.int) WHO’s published budget materials for the assembly show member states were also reviewing the financing, implementation and performance framework for the 2026-2027 programme budget. The same agenda included WHO’s work in health emergencies, linking preparedness policy with the agency’s available resources. ### What should readers watch next? WHO’s next formal milestones are likely to come through follow-up on the Ebola emergency, implementation work tied to the International Health Regulations, and further steps needed before the Pandemic Agreement opens for signature, according to WHO documents. (healthpolicy-watch.news) UN News and WHO’s assembly resource pages are the clearest public trackers for those developments after the May 23 close in Geneva. (apps.who.int)