WHO countries want better guard against next pandemic

They seek progress on filling gaps in alertness and readiness that helped viruses spread worldwide

GENEVA Countries meeting at the World Health Organisation (WHO) this week are thrashing out how to prepare for future pandemics, amid warnings that the planet is wide open to the next crisis.

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said on Wednesday that infectious diseases were being amplified by weak public health services and poorly managed urban settings.

Citing the monkeypox outbreaks in non-endemic locations, he told countries that the spread of the virus was "directly related to our inability, or unwillingness, to manage those risks earlier in their cycle of epidemic generation".

The Covid-19 crisis laid bare major deficiencies in the global health system, and countries last year agreed numerous changes were needed to better prepare the world to face future threats.

At this week's annual World Health Assembly (WHA) of 194 member states the WHO's decision-making body countries want some progress on filling the gaps in alertness and readiness that helped Covid-19 spread worldwide, killing millions and trashing economies.

Dr Ryan also warned about holes in surveillance.