Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2026, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered a stark warning: the next pandemic is inevitable. “One of the problems that keeps me awake at night is the possibility of a new respiratory pathogen emerging — and that could lead to consequences comparable to COVID-19,” he said. He emphasized that the question is not if but when the next pandemic will strike, citing the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a reminder that infectious disease threats remain active worldwide. The WHO continues to push for stronger international surveillance systems, faster information-sharing mechanisms, and equitable access to medical countermeasures. A second high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response was held the same day, underscoring the global urgency of the issue.
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