As the Democratic Republic of the Congo grapples with a resurgent Ebola outbreak, experts are sounding alarm bells about the world’s diminishing capacity to handle infectious disease crises. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) has released a report asserting that as the frequency and severity of such outbreaks increase, the global response is not keeping pace, raising urgent questions about pandemic readiness.
Rising Threats from Infectious Diseases
The GPMB’s report, published on 18 May 2026, warns that the risks associated with infectious diseases have escalated significantly in recent years. With Ebola claiming at least 87 lives in the DRC, health authorities are mobilising to curb the spread, while also contending with other threats, such as the hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the intertwined nature of these crises during the World Health Assembly in Geneva, stating that they reflect a broader pattern of global health challenges.
The report attributes the growing incidence of disease outbreaks to various factors, including climate change and geopolitical instability. Notably, the GPMB points to the detrimental effects of armed conflict and the erosion of collective action as significant barriers to effective responses.
Delays in Response Highlight Systemic Weaknesses
Health officials in Kinshasa are currently facing shortages of protective equipment and are preparing to airlift supplies from Kenya to support efforts against the Ebola outbreak. The International Rescue Committee and Médecins Sans Frontières are also deploying teams to assist with containment measures. However, experts like Professor Matthew Kavanagh from Georgetown University have criticised the slow initial response, which was hampered by misidentifying the Ebola strain, resulting in lost critical weeks.
Kavanagh highlighted how funding cuts to the World Health Organization and the dismantling of vital USAID programmes have directly weakened global health surveillance systems, leaving nations ill-equipped to respond to outbreaks effectively. “We are witnessing the lethal consequences of viewing global health security as a discretionary expenditure,” he remarked.
The Need for Equitable Access and Trust
Despite advancements in vaccine technology, particularly with mRNA platforms, the GPMB’s findings reveal that the world is regressing in terms of equitable access to health resources. For instance, during the mpox outbreaks, it took nearly two years for vaccines to reach affected regions in Africa, a delay far exceeding that of Covid-19 vaccine distribution.
The GPMB stresses that the erosion of trust in governments and health institutions, exacerbated by politicised responses to health crises, has lasting repercussions on societal resilience. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the GPMB co-chair, emphasised that while solutions exist, they are ineffective without trust and equity in their distribution.
Call for Action from Global Leaders
The report underscores the imperative for political leaders to establish a permanent and independent monitoring mechanism to assess pandemic risks and ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatments. Joy Phumaphi, another co-chair of the GPMB, warned that without cooperation and trust, every nation will be vulnerable to future pandemics.
Countries failed to reach consensus on a pandemic agreement treaty ahead of this week’s World Health Assembly, primarily due to disagreements regarding the sharing of medical resources in exchange for pathogen information. The GPMB insists that the time for decisive action is now, as the spectre of future outbreaks looms large.
Why it Matters
The ongoing Ebola outbreak and the concurrent threats of other infectious diseases serve as stark reminders of the inadequacies in global health preparedness. As nations face the dual challenges of rising health threats and geopolitical fragmentation, the need for a cohesive, equitable response has never been more urgent. Without immediate and cooperative action, the world risks becoming increasingly vulnerable to the next inevitable pandemic, with potentially catastrophic consequences for public health and safety.