Published on: 2026-05-23
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On Saturday, at the closing of the 79th session of the World Health Assembly, the head of WHO called on countries to activate international cooperation in the fight against outbreaks of deadly diseases.
The world remains defenseless against infections
Speaking in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the outbreaks of Ebola and coronavirus have demonstrated: the world remains defenseless against rapidly spreading infections.
In this regard, he emphasized that it is necessary to complete as soon as possible the development of the most important application to the Agreement on Pandemic Prevention, concerning the system for access to pathogens and benefit-sharing (PABS – Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing). After the application is approved, the agreement will be opened for signing and ratification.
New Ebola cases in Uganda
The call of the head of WHO was made against the background of messages received on Saturday about three new cases of infection with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no medicine or vaccine.
“Three new cases are a Ugandan medical worker, a driver, and also a citizen of the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who arrived for treatment from Ituri province. Thus, the total number of people in Uganda with a positive Ebola virus test, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has increased to five,” wrote Gebreyesus on Twitter.
Earlier in the day – on Friday – the head of WHO stated that the situation in Uganda, where at that moment only two cases of Ebola had been officially registered, remained stable.
“At this critical stage of responding to the outbreak, the authorities need to exercise maximum vigilance in order to contain the spread of the virus,” Gebreyesus wrote on Saturday.
According to him, the WHO is currently working in close contact with the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and partners in the DRC and Uganda. The goal of the joint work is to localize the outbreak, provide medical assistance to the sick, and coordinate joint actions.
To remind, the current Ebola outbreak was registered last Saturday in the DRC, after which cases of infection were also identified in Uganda. On Friday, WHO raised the threat level for the DRC to “very high,” while the global risk is still assessed as “low.”
Viruses do not recognize state borders
The WHO Director-General emphasized: viruses do not recognize state borders. This statement echoed the theses voiced at the Assembly about the fact that global security in the field of health directly depends on the collective efforts of countries and international cooperation.
Following the results of a week of work, WHO member states adopted resolutions on a number of the most important priorities in the field of healthcare, including control of tuberculosis incidence, prevention and treatment of stroke, radiological diagnostics, pharmacovigilance and drug safety, as well as transplantology and treatment of liver diseases.
Countries also agreed to reform the global health incident architecture. This process will take place under the auspices of the WHO and under the leadership of the member states themselves. Its goal is to improve international coordination during sanitary-epidemiological crises.
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