WHO conducted a "mammoth pox" pandemic preparedness exercise.

The World HEALTH Organization (WHO) conducted exercises in 15 countries last week to test their preparedness to respond to a new pandemic, The Telegraph reports, citing exercise documents.

The fictional virus was dubbed "mammoth pox" because, according to the script, the outbreak began after a group of documentary scientists excavated the remains of a woolly mammoth in the frozen Arctic tundra. The fictional virus is deadly and similar to smallpox and the monkeypox (mpox) that is spreading in Central Africa.

"Mammothpox is a severe disease with a mortality rate intermediate between that of monkeypox and smallpox," the exercise materials state. "With a moderate risk of transmission and minimal asymptomatic spread, the disease is controllable."

it is emphasized that the spread of the virus can only be controlled through “effective coordinated responses, as with SARS or smallpox.”

The exercises were based on real scientific data suggesting that excavating mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, and other extinct creatures trapped in permafrost could lead to unexpected consequences. "Scientific studies have shown that ancient viruses can remain viable in permafrost for thousands of years. Thawing permafrost due to climate change has raised concerns about the potential release of pathogens previously unknown to modern medicine," the WHO fact sheet states.

The exercise lasted two days, covering the first three weeks of the pandemic. Participants included representatives from Denmark, Somalia, Qatar, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine. The United States and CHINA did not participate. The ministerial meeting was held at WHO headquarters in Geneva and chaired by Dr. Mike Ryan, DIRECTOR of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program.

Each country was given a "small piece of the puzzle" to test how well they would share information and cooperate in containing the spread of the virus. In one country, an Arctic explorer involved in the excavations that led to the "mammoth pox" outbreak boarded a cruise ship with 2,450 passengers and 980 crew members. According to the Telegraph, the ship effectively became a "Petri dish" for scientists, who used the data collected to calculate the reproduction number (R-number, which indicates how infectious the virus is). The ratio was 1.6-2.3 (for smallpox, it is 3.5-6).

In Qatar, a simulation showed the virus spreading in crowded places and workplaces, while in Uganda, all 22 cases were attributed to "household transmission."

On the second day, exercise participants were told that effective virus containment was hampered by political factors and varying strategies across countries. Some countries had introduced "strict border controls, banned all international entry, and restricted internal movement," while others had maintained "open borders with minimal restrictions," instead relying on "contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine measures," the document states.

As the Telegraph reports, countries that did not introduce forced quarantines and contact tracing have seen the virus spread "uncontrolled."

WHO Senior Advisor Scott Dowell explained that during the exercise, participants were able to discuss coordinated approaches via Zoom. Dr. Nedret Emiroglu, Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, stated that the "mammoth pox" scenario was designed to be "realistic and capable of spreading globally" and yet manageable "if countries work together."

During the exercise, countries were able to unite in the fight against a fictitious virus. However, as the WHO acknowledged, a real-life situation would have been far more challenging. For example, the simulation did not address the implementation of a vaccine development strategy. Furthermore, the United States, the WHO's largest funder, is planning to leave the organization, forcing it to reduce its operations and staff worldwide.

In parallel to the exercise, negotiations continued at the WHO on a new “pandemic treaty” that aims to address shortcomings in international cooperation during the global response tocovid-19 . The agreement could be adopted on April 15, sources told The Telegraph.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly spoken about the inevitability of a new pandemic and stressed the need to be prepared for it.

ReadPIONERPRODUKT .by inTELEGRAM .