Head of WHO warned about the inevitability of a new pandemic

The emergence of a new respiratory pathogen could lead to a pandemic with consequences comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was stated by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference during the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

"One of the concerns that keeps me up at night is that a new respiratory pathogen could emerge. And this, in turn, could lead to the same consequences as those caused by COVID," he said.

Ghebreyesus emphasized that a new pandemic is inevitable and the question is only a matter of time: "The next pandemic is not a question of 'if,' but 'when.'"

The WHO chief also noted that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo serves as a reminder that an epidemic can start anywhere and at any time and pose a threat not only to local communities but also to neighboring countries and the entire world.