Plea for leaders to finalise pandemic agreement
15/6/2026: At the G7 summit in France the Director-General of the World Health Organization, and Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, issued a joint letter urging world leaders to finalise an agreement on how to deal with future pandemics. The draft treaty is delayed by disagreement on how to share information on pathogens, and what access to vaccines nations should be guaranteed in return.
Source: The Guardian
New data shows HIV services not recovering
9/6/2026: The Clinton Health Access Initiative has released new data showing steep declines in HIV services across countries in Africa and Asia following cuts in support from the US government and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This wind-down in support has put 11 of the 14 countries examined at medium-to-critical risk.
Source: Devex
Can Africa pay for response to Ebola?
2/6/2026: African governments have pledged about 10% of the funding required to contain the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, exposing the difficult gap between the continent’s growing rhetoric around health sovereignty and the financial realities of responding to public health emergencies.
Source: Devex
WHO shortlists potential treatments and vaccines for Bundibugyo virus
28/5/2026: There are currently no licensed therapeutics or vaccines for the prevention and treatment of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The World Health Organization has convened experts who have prioritised candidate products for evaluation in clinical trials.
Source: World Health Organization
Life-saving medicines blocked as killing in Gaza continues
22/5/2026: Since the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at least 880 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization reports that rodent infestations and the spread of infectious disease are being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies.
Source: UN News
Why Ebola shows we must finish the pandemic treaty now
21/5/2026: Ebola is a zoonotic disease, driven by human activity at the interface between people, animals, and the environment. We remain locked in a cycle of response rather than prevention. This is precisely the cycle the pandemic treaty was designed to break. Negotiations have stalled and a final agreement may not be reached until the World Health Assembly in 2027.
Source: Devex
The world is on the edge of even greater pandemic damage
18/5/2026: A Board established in 2018 in response to global health crises has warned that efforts over the last decade are being offset by rising geopolitical fragmentation, ecological disruption, and the fall in development assistance to levels not seen since 2009. The report emphasizes that the real, near term risk of another pandemic would strike a world more divided, more indebted and less able to protect its people than it was a decade ago.
Source: Global Preparedness Monitoring Board
Ebola outbreak in Central Africa declared a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’
17/5/2026: Whilst the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is serious, it does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. However, the World Health Organization has stressed that the outbreak poses a risk to neighbouring countries due to high population mobility, trade links and ongoing humanitarian challenges.
Source: UN News
Global health gains face threat of reversal
13/5/2026: The World Health Statistics 2026 report sends a clear message: while global health efforts are delivering results, the world remains off track to achieve any of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Accelerated action, stronger health systems, and improved data are urgently needed to renew progress.
Source: World Health Organization
3000 attacks on health care in Ukraine since Russian invasion
8/5/2026: During 1534 days of war, Ukraine’s health-care system has experienced more than 3000 attacks, of which approximately 20% have been on ambulances and other health vehicles. Every one of these attacks is a violation of international humanitarian law.
Source: World Health Organization