Overview
- The World Health Assembly, which opened Monday in Geneva, put the cruise-ship hantavirus outbreak and a new Ebola flare-up in Congo at the top of its agenda.
- The agency has cut its budget by about 21 percent, eliminated hundreds of jobs, and scaled back programs, according to Switzerland's health minister.
- WHO has not confirmed the announced withdrawals by the United States and Argentina, and the U.S. still owes roughly $260 million in 2024–2025 dues.
- Negotiators said a one-year extension is likely for the stalled 2025 pandemic treaty talks between wealthy and developing countries.
- Delegates are weighing a formal overhaul of the loose “global health architecture” to reduce overlap and clarify what should be handled globally, regionally, or nationally.