Risks of outbreaks and epidemics

A NEW pandemic could begin worldwide as soon as tomorrow ~ economies and healthcare systems of all countries must be prepared for it.

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This view was expressed in April 2025 by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

He emphasised that this is “not a theoretical risk” but an “epidemiological certainty”.

In December 2021, the WHO announced that in 2022 the organisation’s member states would begin discussing a global agreement on pandemic preparedness and response, particularly concerning rapid reaction to future epidemics. The final vote on the draft was initially planned for May 2024 but was later postponed by a year due to disagreements over several clauses.

Experts agree that countries can only confront epidemiological threats collectively. The experience of Covid-19 demonstrated that no nation can stop viruses alone. They easily cross borders, flying across the globe within hours, and thus can spread worldwide in a matter of days.