WHO flags readiness gaps at Assembly

WHO member states spent May 21 at the World Health Assembly debating emergency readiness, financing and resilience rather than declaring the world prepared for the next outbreak, according to the World Health Organization’s daily update from Geneva. The Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly is running from May 18 to May 23 at WHO headquarters in Geneva. (who.int) The assembly’s agenda includes public health emergencies, implementation of the International Health Regulations and WHO’s work in health emergencies. (firstpost.com) Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, sharpened that backdrop this week by pointing to two live outbreaks — hantavirus linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius and Bundibugyo Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. (who.int) In comments reported on May 21, Clark said both episodes showed failures to detect known pathogens early enough to stop wider spread. ### Why were readiness and financing on the table in Geneva? WHO’s May 21 update said delegates discussed preparedness, response and health-system resilience as part of the Assembly’s broader work on health emergencies and financing. (who.int) The formal agenda for WHA79 includes reports on public health emergencies, the International Health Regulations and WHO’s financing, implementation and performance framework for 2026-2027. The WHO roundtable program during May 19-21 also framed the discussion around lessons from COVID-19, institutional reforms and stronger national capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. WHO said those sessions were meant to identify practical policy and financing solutions and reinforce political commitment. (firstpost.com) ### What did Helen Clark say the outbreaks showed? Helen Clark said the hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks showed that health systems still miss dangerous pathogens that are already known. Firstpost, citing Clark’s article in The Guardian, reported that she said authorities failed to detect hantavirus on the MV Hondius and failed to identify ebolavirus in Congo for weeks. (who.int) Clark’s warning was direct: “If you fail to detect known viruses, how will you detect new ones?” Firstpost reported. She said health systems that do not manage endemic risks will be poorly placed to spot a novel pathogen capable of wider spread. (who.int) ### What is known about the hantavirus cluster? WHO said on May 13 that 11 cases linked to the MV Hondius had been reported, including three deaths. Eight cases were laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus infection, two were probable and one case in the United States remained inconclusive and under retesting. WHO assessed the risk to the global population as low. (firstpost.com) The outbreak was first notified to WHO on May 2 through International Health Regulations channels after severe respiratory illness was reported aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship. WHO said investigations with authorities in Argentina and Chile were continuing, and its working hypothesis was that the first case was infected before boarding. (firstpost.com) ### What is happening in the Ebola outbreak? WHO determined on May 16 that the Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constituted a public health emergency of international concern. WHO said the event did not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency under the International Health Regulations. (who.int) WHO’s Africa office said the outbreak in Congo is the country’s 17th since 1976. A weekly external situation report with data through May 18 listed 35 confirmed cases and five confirmed deaths across Congo and Uganda, alongside a much larger pool of suspected cases and deaths under investigation. (who.int) WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on May 20 that there were no vaccines or therapeutics for Bundibugyo virus. ### Where does this leave the Assembly? Geneva delegates are still working through the Assembly agenda before the meeting closes on May 23. WHO’s WHA79 pages are publishing daily updates, journals, documents and webcasts, including materials on health emergencies, financing and implementation that member states are using in this week’s discussions. (who.int 1) (who.int 2) (iris.who.int)