Spain pushes pandemic treaty at World Health Assembly in Geneva
The 79th World Health Assembly opened in Geneva on 22 May and will run until 23 May, with Spain’s Health Minister Monica García and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez attending. García announced that the Assembly will discuss an international pandemic treaty aimed at improving coordination for future health crises, citing recent emergencies such as the hantavirus outbreak on a Tenerife cruise ship and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
She stressed the need for faster information sharing and “to avoid inequalities in access to vaccines and treatments,” adding that Spain will also promote primary‑care strengthening, rare‑disease treatment, and cross‑border research collaboration. The WHO declared the Bundibugyo strain Ebola epidemic an International Public Health Emergency of Importance, though not a pandemic, and acknowledged Spain’s leadership in the Tenerife response.
García posted on social media: “The hantavirus crisis … have shown that health emergencies do not respect borders and demand international cooperation and resilient public systems.” The Assembly will also address misinformation and the role of primary care in building more effective health systems.