Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider.
Keystone-SDA
Switzerland has commended the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) for steering the response to the hantavirus.
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On Monday in Geneva, Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider called for a “realistic” system for sharing information on pathogens and countermeasures in the event of future pandemics.
In recent years, the WHO has come under attack, particularly from the United States and Argentina, which have now, in their view, withdrawn from the institution. It “is irreplaceable”, said Baume-Schneider at the start of the World Health Assembly.
+ Switzerland concerned about impact of US withdrawal from WHO
She added that it was “playing its role to the full” in the face of the hantavirus and Ebola. Despite a reduction in its budget of almost $1 billion (CHF780 million) and almost 1,300 redundancies as a result of the cuts.
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The member countries have still not reached a consensus on the annex to the historic agreement reached in 2025 to combat pandemics. This annex is intended to regulate the pathogen-related sharing system (PABS). Switzerland wants solutions that are “realistic”, “functional” and with a “clear mandate”, Baume-Schneider said.
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Adapted from French by AI/ts
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