WHO: Time to Agree on an International Pandemic Treaty

(Patria) - It is time to agree on an international pandemic treaty, said yesterday the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the opening of a new round of negotiations in which the US is not participating.

- No country will be able to cope with a new pandemic on its own. We are at a critical moment as you prepare to finalize the pandemic treaty for the WHO meeting in May.

Now or never, really. But I am convinced that you will choose 'now' because you know what is at stake - said Ghebreyesus, three days after the US officially announced it would not participate in the negotiations.

WHO member states decided in December 2021 to agree on a treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness to avoid major mistakes from the COVID-19 pandemic, AFP reports.

However, some important issues remain unresolved, including the exchange of data on emerging pathogens and the benefits that follow, namely vaccines, tests, treatments, and pandemic surveillance.

- You remember the hard lessons of COVID-19, which killed nearly 20 million people and continues to kill. That is why we are here - to protect future generations from the consequences of future pandemics.

It is not a question of whether the next pandemic will happen, but when. The evidence is all around us: Ebola, Marburg virus, measles, monkeypox, influenza, and the threat of the next Disease X - added Ghebreyesus.