World leaders have called for sustained, more equitable investment in pandemic prevention and preparedness, warning that progress made since COVID-19 will need continued action to protect countries from future outbreaks.

The call was made on Friday at the second United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) in New York.

The meeting reviewed progress since the first high-level meeting in 2023, which was convened in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and gaps exposed in global health security.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a statement issued on Friday, said countries recognised progress made over the past three years, including the adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005).

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus in his remarks emphasised that countries must continue investing in stronger health systems, local and national capacities and equitable access to vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other health tools.

“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the fault lines of global health security, and taught the world many painful lessons,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.

He said the political commitments made at the meeting included calls for “concrete, measurable and urgent action” to strengthen health systems and expand equitable access to health products and resources.

Pandemic agreement

Countries also called for the completion of negotiations on an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement that would establish a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system.

The proposed system, according to the WHO, is intended to facilitate the timely sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and ensure that benefits arising from their use, including vaccines, medicines and diagnostics, are shared equitably.

WHO said adoption of the annex at the World Health Assembly in May 2027 is necessary for member states to begin national consideration of ratifying the Pandemic Agreement.

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, speaking on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, urged countries to accelerate the negotiations.

“The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System, under negotiation, is critical to unlocking the full potential of the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” Ms Mohammed said.

Lessons from COVID-19

Mr Ghebreyesus said the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to more than 20 million excess deaths between 2020 and 2023 and wiped more than $10 trillion from the global economy.

The meeting also stressed that pandemic preparedness should not be treated solely as a health-sector responsibility.

According to the WHO, countries called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach involving communities and other sectors.

The political declaration also highlighted the One Health approach, which recognises the links between human, animal and environmental health.

Sustained action

The President of the 81st UN General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman, said international cooperation would be necessary to prepare for future pandemics, including through equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and other essential medical supplies.

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“We have the knowledge, we have the tools, we have the science and expertise, and we have the hard lessons of COVID-19,” Mr Rahman said at the meeting.

“Let us use them for ourselves, our families and our loved ones. And also in memory of those we lost and in recognition of all those who suffered, needlessly.”

The meeting’s participants stressed that pandemic prevention, preparedness and response should remain a political priority between health emergencies, rather than becoming a focus only when outbreaks occur.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains active, with 7,820 cases and 3,779 deaths recorded nationwide.

Wessam Mankoula, regional director at the Northern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, Africa CDC, said this during a Thursday webinar on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and ongoing response efforts.

Mr Mankoula said the outbreak had affected 63 health zones across seven provinces, with 49 health zones still in the active phase and continuing to report cases across the DRC during response operations.

He said eight health zones had entered the sustained controlled phase, while six others were in the controlled phase after reporting no cases for specified periods under routine monitoring.

According to him, the outbreak has plateaued over the past five weeks, partly driven by declining cases in Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak in DRC, and surrounding areas.

He, however, cautioned against interpreting the decline as evidence that the outbreak was under control, noting that some provinces were still recording upward trends in several affected provinces.

Mr Mankoula said cases in Ituri declined by 25 per cent during the latest three-week period, while deaths dropped by 31 per cent compared with the previous three weeks overall, as recently reported.

He said North Kivu recorded a different trend, with cases increasing by 56 per cent and deaths rising by 19 per cent during the same three-week period there, in recent weeks.

The official said North Kivu also recorded the highest case-fatality ratio of about 60.5 per cent, compared with the national average of approximately 48 per cent during the outbreak period.

He attributed the situation partly to insecurity and limited access to affected communities, which were making active case searches and contact tracing increasingly difficult for health workers in affected areas.

Mr Mankoula said children below five years were among the most affected groups, prompting collaboration with UNICEF to strengthen case management for paediatric patients in affected areas in the region as needed.

He said community transmission remained a major concern, with about 65 per cent of reported cases occurring within communities, requiring stronger engagement and deployment of community health workers across affected communities.

Mr Mankoula said the contact listing had improved from about 10 contacts per case at the beginning of the outbreak to approximately 20 per case in affected areas currently.

He said the figure remained below the target of 60 contacts per case, emphasising the need to strengthen contact tracing and community-based surveillance in affected communities nationwide.

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The Africa CDC official said the response had also expanded laboratory capacity, with 24 laboratories now able to conduct more than 3,400 tests daily across affected areas in the affected region.

He said additional laboratory equipment and more than 100,000 test kits had been provided to strengthen testing in affected and neighbouring areas across the region, supporting response efforts. (NAN)