WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if, during an online news conference on Friday. He noted that COVID-19 was the most severe global health crisis in a century, killing at least 20 million people and wiping more than 10 trillion dollars from the global economy. He said the pandemic exposed and worsened weaknesses in global health security and taught the world painful lessons that countries must learn from. He cited the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius as evidence that outbreaks can begin anywhere and that international threats require international responses.
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
