Recent outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola demonstrate that, although the response to public health crises has improved, the world still lacks the necessary awareness of pandemic risks, warned Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
Speaking during the World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 19, 2026, Clark acknowledged that new health regulations are working. "The response has been quite effective," she said, referring to the speed of action after the Ebola alert in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the previous Friday and the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius in the Atlantic Ocean weeks earlier.
The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated on Wednesday that the Ebola epidemic in the DRC does not constitute "a pandemic emergency" but poses a "high" risk at the national and regional level.
Despite the progress, Clark emphasized that much work remains. "Our problem now extends far beyond that," she said, insisting on the need to identify risks and understand "how these outbreaks emerge." The expert advocated for risk-based preparedness, focusing on surveillance and early detection. "Basic aspects of surveillance and early detection, we are not there yet," she commented.
As an example, Clark pointed out that the hantavirus species behind the cruise ship outbreak — which triggered a global health alert after three deaths — was known to be endemic in the region of Argentina from which the ship departed. "But it is not clear how much the ships that regularly depart from there knew about this," she said.
Regarding Ebola, the Bundibugyo strain, suspected of killing more than 130 people in the DRC, appears to have gone unnoticed for weeks because tests were for another strain and came back negative. "How could this happen for four to six weeks, spreading without the necessary test results to identify the specific variant?" she questioned.
Clark also highlighted the impact of sharp cuts in global aid on disease prevention. "There is a perfect storm," she warned, noting that impoverished and fragile countries "simply do not have money in the bank" to replace donor funds that were suddenly withdrawn. "Even with the best will in the world, they are neglecting many things in many areas," she added.
The former prime minister insisted that "global solidarity remains extremely important" and that ways must be found to finance preparedness and response that reflect shared interests. "We are in this together," she concluded, mentioning that there is already a confirmed case of Ebola in an American citizen who became infected in the DRC and that hantavirus "suddenly appeared in places where people [disembarked] from the ship."