A leading pandemic expert has warned that recent Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks highlight ongoing weaknesses in global pandemic preparedness, despite improvements in emergency response systems since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, said international responses to recent outbreaks had improved significantly, but global awareness and early risk detection still lag behind.
Speaking to AFP in Geneva on Tuesday, Clark said reforms introduced after the Covid-19 pandemic have strengthened the world’s ability to react to declared public health emergencies.
“The new international health regulations are working,” Clark said.
She pointed to the response to the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius in the Atlantic Ocean, where three people died.
“As soon as the alert was sounded, the response went quite well,” she said.
However, Clark stressed that more attention is needed on identifying risks before outbreaks spiral out of control.
“Our issue is now really upstream from that,” she said, adding that countries need stronger surveillance systems, early detection capabilities and better understanding of emerging health threats.
She noted that the hantavirus linked to the cruise ship outbreak was already known to be endemic in parts of Argentina where the vessel departed, raising questions about preparedness and awareness among operators in the region.
Clark also questioned how the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the DRC was able to spread undetected for several weeks, reportedly due to initial testing focusing on a different strain.
“How could this have gone for four to six weeks spreading without the testing results needed to identify the variant?” she asked.
She called for a full investigation into the outbreak and the failures that allowed it to spread.
Clark further warned that major global aid cuts are undermining disease prevention efforts, particularly in poorer and fragile countries struggling to replace donor funding for healthcare systems.
“There’s a perfect storm,” she said, cautioning that critical health services could be neglected as countries battle financial constraints.
She emphasised that international cooperation remains essential, warning that infectious diseases can quickly spread beyond borders.
“We’re in this together,” Clark said. “We have to find ways of financing preparedness and response that reflect our shared interests.”