Next pandemic is bound to 'come knocking', so better prepare, warns WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday called for reforms by individual countries in preparation for the next pandemic. The WHO head also asked member nations to honour a previous commitment to boost annual financing for the global health agency.

The development comes weeks after the WHO ended global emergency status for the Covid pandemic which killed millions worldwide during its course of over two years and left a trail of devastating economic consequences globally.

Preventing the next pandemic: What it means?

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Speaking at the WHO's annual health assembly, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was time to advance negotiations on preventing the next pandemic.

"We cannot kick this can down the road," the WHO Director-General said in a major address to the agency's member states, warning that the next pandemic was bound to "come knocking".

"If we do not make the changes that must be made, then who will? And if we do not make them now, then when?" he said.

World Health Assembly in Geneva

The 10-day annual World Health Assembly in Geneva coincides with WHO's 75th anniversary. It aims to address global health challenges, including future pandemics.

The WHO's 194 member states are currently negotiating reforms to the binding rules that fix their obligations in the event of an international health threat. The member states are also reportedly drafting a broader pandemic treaty. This treaty will beup for ratification next year.

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"A commitment from this generation (to a pandemic accord) is important because it is this generation that experienced how awful a small virus could be," Tedros was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Countries are also set to consider later on Monday the WHO's 2024-2025 budget.

Calls for a global pandemic prevention fund

The WHO is facing calls for reform after an independent panel recently described it as "underpowered" when the Covid pandemic first struck. It found that the global health body hadlimited powers to investigate outbreaks and coordinate containment measures, reflecting WHO's widely criticised track record of failing to timely investigate the origin of the pandemic in China's Wuhan city.

A Washington-led effort to build a global pandemic prevention fund hosted by the World Bank is among initiatives that could determine the future of the 74-year-old body.

(With inputs from agencies)

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