“Could Happen Tomorrow”: WHO Chief Says Next Pandemic Inevitable

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that another pandemic is inevitable, stating it is “not a theoretical risk but an epidemiological certainty.” Speaking at the resumed WHO meeting, he emphasised that the next global health crisis could strike at any time, whether in 20 years or tomorrow.

Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of being prepared for its eventual arrival. “The Covid-19 pandemic may now seem like a distant memory, overtaken by conflict and geopolitical and economic disruption. But the next pandemic will not wait until things calm down,” he said.

He reiterated that another pandemic “could happen in 20 years or more, or it could happen tomorrow. But it will happen, and either way, we must be ready. This is not a theoretical risk; it is an epidemiological certainty.”

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“That’s why the world needs your engagement and leadership to bring the WHO Pandemic Agreement across the finish line.”

“You have seen what the Covid-19 pandemic did. Officially, 7 million people were killed, but we estimate the true toll to be 20 million. And on top of the human cost, the pandemic wiped more than US$ 10 trillion from the global economy,” he noted.

The WHO chief expressed hope that a consensus could be reached during the talks on the WHO Pandemic Agreement. He assured that “this agreement will in no way infringe any member state’s sovereignty. The opposite: it will strengthen national sovereignty and international action.”