Still just a wish

Deadlines can be missed…

On January 22, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern that many countries around the world may miss the May 2024 deadline to agree on a legally binding “pandemic treaty” to ensure a more effective response to future pandemics. Specifically, according to the head of WHO, many countries may not be able to fulfill their commitments in fighting the pandemic, while there are still a number of concerns that need to be addressed.

More than a year ago, in his 2023 New Year’s message, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to sign a “grand” pandemic treaty to address the preparedness gaps exposed by the pandemic. WHO already has binding rules called the International Health Regulations (2005), which outline member states’ responsibilities when a disease threatens to spread to other countries; recommend WHO declaration of a public health emergency; and impose trade and travel restrictions.

However, WHO believes that these regulations are still not enough to respond to a global pandemic. Therefore, a new treaty to respond to future global pandemics is urgently needed. "The pandemic treaty is being designed to close the gap in global collaboration, cooperation and equity," emphasized Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. It is worth noting that this new treaty is a top priority for WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during his second five-year term.

International convention on response to pandemics is just a wishful thinking figure 1 — Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus. Photo: New York Post

In fact, the story of a so-called global pandemic treaty has been discussed for a long time. The idea of building an international treaty on pandemics was raised by the President of the European Council - Charles Michel at the Summit of the Group of 20 leading developed and emerging economies (G20) in November 2020.

According to Mr. Michel, this treaty will help ensure equitable access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostics when a pandemic occurs. Next, in a joint article published on March 29, 2021, world leaders, including the British Prime Minister, the French President and the German Chancellor, warned that the emergence of a global pandemic is inevitable in the future and that it is time for countries to abandon isolationism and nationalism and open a new era based on the principles of solidarity and cooperation. Specifically, a treaty similar to the one signed after 1945 is needed to establish cross-border cooperation before the next international health crisis.

According to the leaders, a pandemic response treaty would help countries act responsibly, share responsibility, be transparent and cooperate within the framework of the international system and adhere to the principles and norms of this system. “There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No government or multilateral organization can address this threat alone. As leaders of countries and international organizations, we believe it is our responsibility to ensure that the world learns the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the leaders said in a joint statement released to the media.

By the end of 2022, WHO member states are said to be negotiating a new international treaty on how to respond to future pandemics, with the goal of having the legal agreement ratified by all 194 WHO member states by May 2024. The main goal of the treaty is to strengthen the world's ability to respond to future pandemics through better warning systems; data sharing; research activities; production and distribution of vaccines, treatments, diagnostics and personal protective equipment.

However, as necessary and supported as it is, as Director-General Tedros Adhanom has said, the world is likely to miss the treaty again as the May 2024 milestone is approaching.

Warning of outbreak of “disease X” that could be 20 times more dangerous than COVID-19

Along with warning about the treaty’s failure, the WHO also warned about the outbreak of Disease X – a term coined by the WHO in 2018 to represent the next unknown disease with pandemic potential. Accordingly, Disease X is not a specific disease but the name of a potential virus similar to COVID-19. It could be a new agent, a virus, a bacterium or a fungus, in general, an unidentified pathogen that can cause a serious epidemic on a global scale.

According to Prof. Dr. Lam Sai Kit, one of the scientists who discovered the Nipah virus, the disease is likely caused by deforestation and wildlife trafficking. Therefore, the authorities should strengthen surveillance of this disease. Currently, the WHO has compiled a list of viruses that are likely to become Pathogen X, which is more likely to cause death than Covid-19.

International convention on response to pandemics is just a wishful thinking figure 2 — The new wave of Covid-19 is growing rapidly around the world.

Along with warnings about disease X, WHO has recently continued to warn about the Covid-19 epidemic. According to the latest update from WHO, the world recorded more than 1.1 million new Covid-19 cases in the past month, an increase of 4% compared to the previous month. Data from Worldometer shows that as of January 23, there were a total of 702.1 million Covid-19 cases and 6.97 million deaths. WHO warns that the reported numbers do not reflect the actual infection rate, due to a decrease in testing and reporting globally.

COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, but the virus is still spreading, mutating and causing many deaths. “There are certainly increasing trends in other countries that are not being reported,” the WHO Director-General said. “Just as governments and individuals take precautions against other diseases, we all must continue to take precautions against COVID-19.”

“Although 10,000 deaths per month is far lower than at the peak of the pandemic, this level of mortality is unacceptable,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned. According to AP, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that holiday gatherings and a fast-spreading variant are behind the surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths worldwide.

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