World Remains Underprepared for Future Pandemics Despite Lessons From COVID-19, WHO Warns

First hantavirus, then mpox, avian influenza and now Ebola - the world is once again confronting the reality that emerging infectious diseases are no longer isolated global emergencies but recurring threats unfolding with alarming frequency. Amid a fresh Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, a new global report has warned that countries are becoming increasingly vulnerable to future pandemics despite the hard lessons learned during COVID-19.

The warning comes as the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), backed by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank, released a report stating that infectious disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent, disruptive and difficult to contain due to climate change, ecological disruption, rising global mobility and weakening health systems, according to India Today.

The report follows WHO’s declaration of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern. Experts warned that unequal access to vaccines, misinformation, political instability and declining trust in health institutions are weakening the world’s ability to respond effectively to future pandemics, raising serious concerns over global preparedness and health security in the years ahead.