WHO warns after Ebola flare-up

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus used the closing day of the World Health Assembly on May 23 to warn that recent Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks showed countries were still exposed to fast-moving cross-border health threats. The World Health Organization chief spoke in Geneva as the agency wrapped its 79th annual gathering of member states, where governments also discussed emergency preparedness, financing and health-system resilience. WHO’s own daily update said the assembly adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions during the week. At the same time, governments outside Geneva were tightening border and travel measures in response to the Ebola flare-up in central and eastern Africa. ### Why did Tedros tie Ebola and hantavirus together at the assembly’s close? Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on May 23 that the recent Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks demonstrated that “the world is still vulnerable” to rapidly spreading infectious diseases. UN News reported that he used the assembly’s close to press governments to act on pandemic preparedness rather than treat outbreaks as isolated emergencies. (news.un.org) Geneva was the setting for that appeal because the World Health Assembly is WHO’s main annual decision-making meeting. WHO’s May 23 daily update said member states spent the final day on issues including emergency preparedness, sustainable financing and health-system resilience, alongside a broader package of resolutions and decisions adopted over the week. (news.un.org) ### What did the assembly actually do in Geneva? WHO said the 79th World Health Assembly ran from May 18 to May 23 in Geneva under the theme “Reshaping global health: a shared responsibility.” The agency’s daily update said delegates adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions covering subjects that included tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, emergency care, precision medicine and radiation. (who.int) The WHO materials also show that emergency preparedness was not handled as a side discussion. Assembly documents listed agenda items on public health emergencies, implementation of the International Health Regulations and WHO’s work in health emergencies, alongside the financing and administrative questions that determine how quickly the agency and national systems can respond. ### Which Ebola outbreak is driving the warning? (who.int) WHO Director-General Tedros said on May 20 that he had declared a public health emergency of international concern over an Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. In those remarks, he said he acted after consulting the health ministers of both countries and described the move as urgent, while also saying the event was not classified as a pandemic emergency under the amended International Health Regulations. (apps.who.int) UN and WHO reporting tied the assembly’s closing message directly to that outbreak. UN News said Ugandan authorities confirmed three new cases on May 23 involving the Bundibugyo strain, which the report said has neither a cure nor a vaccine. ### Why are countries still reaching for travel restrictions? South Korea widened its no-travel zone in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 22 to include Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. (who.int) South Korean and regional reports said the measure took effect under the country’s highest Level 4 travel alert for the added province, with separate Level 3 warnings for nearby areas. The United States also moved to tighten entry rules. (news.un.org) CDC said on May 18 that it had announced enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions and other public-health measures to prevent Ebola disease from entering the United States, and Politico and Bloomberg Law reported that the policy was expanded to bar some lawful permanent residents who had recently been in affected countries. ### What happens after the assembly closes? (en.yna.co.kr) WHO’s assembly resource page now serves as the central public record for the resolutions, speeches and daily updates adopted between May 18 and May 23. CDC’s Ebola guidance and national foreign ministry advisories, including South Korea’s travel alerts, are likely to show whether governments keep adding border measures as the outbreak evolves. (who.int) (cdc.gov)