Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
@DrTedros • 2,039,589 subscribers
Director-General of the World Health Organization. Retweets are not endorsements
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Last Friday, the 2nd of October, the first media reports emerged of a suspected case of pneumonic plague in a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute in the Russian Federation. The lab worker died after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Initial media reports suggested pneumonic plague following an accidental lab exposure. World Health Organization (WHO) is aware that the Russian government held a meeting on the 2nd of October because they suspected a resident of the Irkutsk oblast had contracted a dangerous infection. On Saturday, WHO asked the Russian Federation for more information, in accordance with the International Health Regulations. On Tuesday, the Russian Federation responded, saying that no case of plague had recently been reported in the Irkutsk oblast, and that they had placed about 200 contacts in quarantine. However, WHO has requested further information on the laboratory tests conducted on the individual who died and the contacts, more detail on what prompted the public health measures, and details about the health status of the contacts. We have also sought verification of media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. WHO has offered technical support related to plague and lab biosafety and biosecurity. As we don’t yet have the full picture of this event, we are not able to conduct a full risk assessment. Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus149,359 views • 11 days ago
The story of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence Hub began on 23 October 2020, at the height of the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an urgent Zoom call with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Five years later, the Hub has grown from an ambitious early-warning concept into a fully operational global anchor for health security that spans more than 160 countries and more than 190 partner organizations. #WHS2026
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus48,949 views • 7 days ago
Five years after its establishment, the World Health Organization (WHO) Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence has become an integral part of the global health security system. Its new strategy charts a clear path towards 2030, uniting governments and partners around a shared goal: a world in which every country can rapidly respond to health threats before they turn into major crises:
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus24,079 views • 6 days ago
A light time with my granddaughter. The kind of ordinary afternoon that feels like a gift. Watching her laugh, holding her hand, I'm reminded how precious these simple moments are. And even as my heart feels full, it also turns outward, to the families around the world whose days are shadowed by conflict. I think of the parents trying to keep their children safe, the homes left behind, the childhoods interrupted too soon. So I hold both feelings together: gratitude for what I have, and sorrow for what others are enduring. And I want to say this to the leaders in conflict: please come back to your senses. There is always a political solution. Peace is the best medicine. I wish every child, everywhere, could know the same lightness I saw today. A safe place to sleep, a hand to hold, a day without fear, and the freedom to simply be a kid.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus67,326 views • 22 days ago
Congratulations to dear friends of mine, Professor Prof. Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum | MD, PhD and Professor Peter Piot on receiving The Virchow Prize 2026. Together, they have helped transform our understanding of infectious diseases and strengthened the world's capacity to detect, investigate and respond to outbreaks. The careers of Professors Muyembe and Piot show what is possible when scientific excellence is matched by determination, collaboration and solidarity. Thank you for your lifelong service to protecting and promoting health.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus24,717 views • 8 days ago
.World Health Organization (WHO) and partners managed to reach Al-Shifa — once the backbone of the health system in #Gaza, which is now an empty shell with human graves after the latest siege. The team witnessed at least five dead bodies during the mission. Most of the buildings in the hospital complex are extensively destroyed and the majority of assets damaged or reduced to ashes. Even restoring minimal functionality in the short term seems implausible. An in-depth assessment by a team of engineers is needed to determine if the remaining buildings are safe for future use. WHO and partners’ recent effort to support the revival of basic services at Al-Shifa are now lost, and people are once again deprived of access to lifesaving health care services. As famine looms, disease outbreaks spread, and trauma injuries increase, WHO urges immediate: - protection of remaining health facilities in Gaza - protection of health and humanitarian workers - additional land crossings to allow access into and across north Gaza - functional deconfliction mechanism - unimpeded access of humanitarian aid into and across the Gaza Strip - ceasefire.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus1,634,047 views • 2 years ago
The #Ebola virus had a head start in the #DRC, and we are still playing catch-up. The response is growing stronger and we are seeing encouraging signs. But this epidemic is far from over. My update on the progress, challenges and what it will take to stop it ⬇️ #UNGA #SDGlive
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus49,630 views • 23 days ago
Instead of a coherent and cohesive global response, #COVID19 has been marked by a chaotic patchwork of responses. This is why we need the #PandemicAccord - that countries are now negotiating - to work in cooperation with each other to prepare for and respond to future pandemics.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus2,208,684 views • 3 years ago
Next week at #UNGA, world leaders will meet to renew their commitments to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics. The political declaration is clear: the world remains insufficiently prepared. Now we need leaders to turn political commitments into action, and complete the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex to the Pandemic Agreement.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus51,376 views • 28 days ago
Thank you to all my friends, colleagues, and everyone who has wished me well during the ordeal in the past few days. I'm especially grateful to the colleagues and airport staff, who were selfless as they tried to protect me. We faced a very dangerous attack, but my United Nations colleagues and I are now safe. We successfully evacuated our wounded colleague to Amman, and he is stable. My heart goes out to our colleagues on the front lines and the civilians who face such danger every day. I am on my way back home to Geneva.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus811,733 views • 1 year ago
In #Gaza, the humanitarian emergency continues to deepen, with public health risks growing as winter approaches and most people remain displaced in overcrowded tented camps. The already overwhelmed health system cannot withstand additional surges in disease and illness. The best medicine is peace.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus65,438 views • 1 month ago
No country will cede any sovereignty to World Health Organization (WHO). Countries will decide what the #PandemicAccord says, and countries will implement the accord in line with their own national laws. Any opposite claim is quite simply false.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus1,416,262 views • 3 years ago
22,022 steps and counting. That was day one of #UNGA. Walking and talking, quite literally. A healthy challenge to my fellow leaders this week: make every step count. Between meetings, Walk the Talk for your own health and for #HealthForAll the people we are here to serve.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus39,779 views • 27 days ago