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The World Health Organization warns that a bacterium deadlier than the recently discovered COVID-19 might arise at any time.
The request was made on Monday during the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"There is still a risk that a new variation will appear and trigger additional outbreaks of illness and fatalities. And there is still a risk that another disease with an even greater capacity for death may emerge."
"And the threat that we confront is not limited to pandemics. An efficient architecture for health emergency planning and response must address all emergencies in a world of overlapping and converging crises."
The warning comes just a few weeks after the head of the WHO labeled the end of COVID-19 as a global public health emergency.
The High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Preparedness and Response this year, Ghebreyesus continued, "is a valuable opportunity for leaders to chart a clear path forward towards that future."
He urged everyone to be "ready to answer decisively, collectively, and equitably when the pandemic comes knocking" but avoided mentioning the name of the 'anticipated' sickness.
