WHO warns pandemic readiness lacking

The World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly spent May 21 debating emergency financing, system resilience and preparedness measures, according to the agency’s daily update from Geneva. WHO said member states discussed public health emergencies, implementation of the International Health Regulations and broader health-emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience during the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly, which runs from May 18 to May 23. Helen Clark, the former New Zealand prime minister and former co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, said this week that current hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks show the world is still not ready for the next pandemic. Clark told AFP that post-Covid reforms had improved response to declared crises, but that detection of threats and underlying preparedness still lagged. (who.int) ### What was the WHO actually discussing in Geneva? The May 21 WHO update said delegates were considering emergency-related agenda items including preparedness and response, implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005), and financing and performance questions tied to the 2026-2027 programme budget. The Assembly also published formal documents on WHO’s work in health emergencies and an update on strengthening health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, with daily proceedings and supporting documents posted by WHO. The schedule page says the meeting opened on May 18 and concludes on May 23. ### Why did Helen Clark say the world is still unprepared? Helen Clark said the outbreaks were evidence that countries remain better at reacting once a crisis is declared than at spotting and containing threats early. “The new international health regulations are working,” Clark told AFP, while adding that broader awareness of pandemic risk still lagged and that health systems that struggle with endemic threats would be poorly placed to catch a novel pathogen quickly. (who.int 1) (who.int 2) Firstpost, citing Clark’s comments and article in The Guardian, reported that she warned the world was not yet prepared to protect “all 8 bn people.” That warning linked the current outbreaks to a wider concern: whether countries can move from paper commitments to operational readiness. ### Why is the Ebola outbreak drawing so much attention? The Bundibugyo strain outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has drawn scrutiny because there is no licensed vaccine or approved treatment for that strain, according to multiple reports. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Scientific American reported that candidate vaccines are being developed, but none are ready for use in the current outbreak. (firstpost.com) The central Africa outbreak has become a preparedness test for hospitals and cross-border surveillance systems. Reports describing the outbreak said health workers were dealing with containment pressures in a setting where the usual Ebola playbook is thinner because tools available for Zaire ebolavirus do not directly solve a Bundibugyo outbreak. (scientificamerican.com) ### Are any governments trying to close the gap? Zambia said on May 21 that it was stepping up preparedness through surveillance training, digital tools and pandemic planning as neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda respond to Ebola outbreaks. The WHO Regional Office for Africa said Zambia was investing in Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response training, Go.Data deployment and pandemic influenza planning with support from WHO and partners. (scientificamerican.com) Lusaka’s announcement also showed the practical side of the preparedness debate now underway in Geneva: countries are building systems for detection and response before a wider emergency reaches their borders. WHO Africa said those measures were aimed at improving readiness for both current threats and future epidemics and pandemics. ### What happens next at the Assembly? (afro.who.int) May 23 is the closing date for the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in Geneva, according to WHO’s event page. WHO’s daily updates and Assembly documents are expected to show what member states decide on health-emergency preparedness, financing and related follow-up work after the meeting ends. (who.int) (afro.who.int)