WHO flags Ebola and hantavirus risks

The World Health Assembly in Geneva spent May 21 discussing health emergencies, financing and universal health coverage as Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks sharpened attention on outbreak readiness, according to the World Health Organization’s daily update. WHO said the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly is running from May 18 to May 23 and is bringing together member states to debate current and future public health priorities. Helen Clark, the former New Zealand prime minister and a longtime pandemic preparedness advocate, said this week that Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks showed the world was still not ready to protect “all 8 billion people” from the next major health threat. Clark said countries had improved crisis response since COVID-19, but had not closed gaps in early detection and broader preparedness, according to reports citing her remarks. (who.int) Public health experts quoted by NPR and Politico said neither Ebola nor hantavirus currently looks likely to become “the next COVID,” but both outbreaks are testing public confidence in health authorities after the pandemic years. Those reports said the immediate epidemiological risk to most Americans remained low even as public anxiety rose. (firstpost.com) ### Why did outbreaks come up alongside the WHO meeting? WHO’s May 21 update said the assembly was handling a broad agenda that included health emergencies, misinformation, tuberculosis, noncommunicable diseases and universal health coverage. The backdrop was a new round of outbreak concern that has pushed preparedness back into day-to-day political discussion, even when the assembly itself was not convened solely around a single pathogen. (nprillinois.org) Geneva is hosting delegates from all WHO member states this week, and the assembly remains the organization’s main decision-making forum. WHO’s official pages say speeches, documents and daily updates for the May 18-23 session are being published through the event. ### What, specifically, did Helen Clark warn about? Helen Clark said the outbreaks underscored a failure to build systems that can detect and contain dangerous diseases early, according to coverage of her comments. (who.int) Reports on May 20 and May 21 said she argued that health systems unable to manage known endemic threats would be poorly placed to catch a novel pathogen before it spread more widely. (who.int) BMJ reported this week that the warning came amid outbreaks of hantavirus and the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a version for which it said there is no vaccine. That framing put the focus less on a single worst-case scenario than on recurring gaps in surveillance, response capacity and international coordination. ### Why do experts say this is not another COVID-style moment? NPR reported on May 21 that infectious disease specialists do not expect Ebola or hantavirus to become a repeat of COVID-19. (firstpost.com) The outlet said fear around unfamiliar diseases has been amplified by the pandemic experience, but experts described the current risk profile as very different. (bmj.com) Politico reported the same day that the more immediate concern identified by public health specialists was a trust deficit in the United States. Its report said the outbreaks were revealing how skepticism toward public health institutions could complicate the response when a more serious crisis arrives. ### What did India do as Ebola concerns spread? (nprillinois.org) India’s Directorate General of Health Services issued an advisory on May 21 for passengers arriving from or transiting through Ebola-affected countries, according to Indian media reports. The advisory told travelers to report symptoms and seek medical care if they developed warning signs within 21 days of arrival. (politico.com) Delhi airport also put out a public health notice for travelers linked to affected countries, according to local reports. Those steps showed governments are still turning quickly to border screening and traveler guidance when outbreak alerts intensify. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### Where does this go next? May 23 is the final scheduled day of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, according to WHO’s event page. WHO’s assembly portal and daily update pages are expected to carry the remaining documents, statements and meeting records as delegates finish the session. (who.int) (msn.com)