"Next pandemic is inevitable," warns WHO chief, urges global readiness

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has issued a stark reminder that another global pandemic is not just a possibility but a certainty.

Speaking during a resumed WHO meeting, Dr. Tedros urged world leaders to remain vigilant and push forward with the WHO Pandemic Agreement, emphasising that future health crises could emerge at any moment.

“Whether in 20 years or tomorrow, a new pandemic will strike,” he said, cautioning that the world cannot afford to let its guard down, even as memories of COVID-19 fade and attention shifts to global conflicts and economic disruptions. “This is not a hypothetical scenario—it is an epidemiological certainty,” he added.

Dr. Tedros cited the enormous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which officially claimed 7 million lives, though WHO estimates the real death toll may be closer to 20 million. The economic fallout was just as devastating, with more than $10 trillion wiped from the global economy.

Calling for renewed urgency, he underscored the need for global cooperation to finalize the WHO Pandemic Agreement, a framework aimed at strengthening preparedness and response. He reassured member nations that the agreement respects national sovereignty and, in fact, aims to bolster both local and global capacities.

“The next pandemic won’t wait for global stability,” he said. “We must act now, with unity and leadership, to ensure the world is better prepared than it was before.”