World Health Organization assesses readiness for potential future pandemics

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a “public health emergency of international concern”. This announcement comes amid concerns over a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship trip to South America.

Several countries are battling to contain the outbreaks, prompting questions about international travel and cross-border coordination. The WHO’s response to these emergencies typically involves assessing the danger posed by the disease and implementing a plan to respond to it.

The WHO is currently facing a funding crisis due to a lack of donor support since 2025. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned in May 2025 that global health would be at risk without sufficient funding. The agency’s budget for the 2026-27 period has been reduced by 9% compared to the previous year.

The United States officially withdrew from the WHO in January this year, citing concerns over the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises. As a result, the WHO has had to scale back spending on critical programmes, including those related to pandemic preparedness.

Health experts have expressed concern that funding cuts to the WHO are weakening disease surveillance efforts, which can affect the readiness and preparedness to respond to epidemics and pandemics. The International Health Regulations (IHR) rely on the WHO’s facilitation of communication and response efforts among countries, deployment of experts, support for laboratory testing, and organization of emergency responses.

The WHO has deployed experts, personal protective equipment, laboratory support, and emergency funding in response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda. However, these efforts are at risk due to the current funding crisis. Experts emphasize that rapid international coordination is essential in responding to infectious diseases that do not respect borders.

Source: Al Jazeera