WHO Chief Warns Next Pandemic is Inevitable, Urges Global Preparedness

Researchers at CERN's Large Hadron Collider have made a groundbreaking discovery of a particle named antihyperhelium-4, the heaviest antimatter particle identified to date. This finding, reported in a preprint on arXiv, could potentially illuminate the longstanding mystery of why our universe is predominantly composed of matter, despite theories suggesting an equal creation of matter and antimatter during the Big Bang. The discovery was made by the A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE), which specializes in heavy-ion physics. The experiments recreate conditions akin to those present just one millionth of a second after the Big Bang. According to the researchers, antihyperhelium-4 consists of protons and neutrons along with hyperons containing “strange” quarks, making it fundamentally different from ordinary helium. Since hypernuclei decay rapidly, locating these particles poses significant challenges; only two other antihypernuclei have been identified in recent history. Qiu Hao, a collaborator with STAR at Brookhaven National Laboratory, emphasized the importance of creating and studying antimatter to unravel the mystery of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe.

After over three years of negotiations, member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed on a landmark accord to enhance global preparedness for future pandemics. The deal, sealed early Wednesday at WHO headquarters in Geneva, aims to rectify the failures experienced during the COVID-19 crisis. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the agreement as a "significant milestone" in ensuring global health security. The final discussions occurred under the weight of new health threats, such as H5N1 bird flu and measles, and amidst concerns regarding cuts to U.S. foreign aid and potential tariffs on pharmaceuticals. Delegates overcame last-minute disagreements related to technology transfers intended for developing nations, with an emphasis on mutual agreements for such transfers. The 32-page accord introduces a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System to facilitate the rapid sharing of pathogen data with pharmaceutical companies, expediting research on pandemic-related products. The finalized text is set to be presented for official approval at the WHO's annual assembly next month.

During a recent World Health Organization (WHO) meeting, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the next pandemic is inevitable and could emerge as soon as tomorrow. This statement reinforces the urgent need for global readiness, as many governments currently prioritize economic and geopolitical issues over pandemic preparedness. Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of immediately addressing this looming challenge, reminding attendees that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in over 20 million deaths and an estimated economic impact of $10 trillion. The WHO chief called for a legally binding international agreement that would ensure equitable access to resources and capabilities for pandemic response and management. Such an agreement would commit nations to collaborative approaches in safeguarding global health security, respecting national sovereignty while prioritizing collective readiness. He urged United Nations member states to expedite the finalization of this comprehensive framework, highlighting that the lessons learned from COVID-19 must not be ignored as the world braces for future health crises.