Africa: Deadly Viruses Know No Borders, Nor Should Our Resolve to Stop Them

What the report says

In a guest column published by AllAfrica, Dutch Trade and Development Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma and World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus argue that infectious diseases are a shared global threat and that faster action abroad helps protect people everywhere. Their piece points to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a current example of how a health emergency in one country can quickly become an international concern, especially when it spreads across borders.

The authors say the Netherlands is increasing support for the response, including €7 million for Ebola containment and a separate €10 million flexible contribution to WHO for future emergencies. They also note that this is in addition to the Netherlands’ existing annual core funding to WHO. The column says WHO is working with Congo’s government, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, local authorities and communities to help contain the outbreak.

More broadly, the piece frames outbreak preparedness as a matter of national and international security, citing lessons from COVID-19 and earlier outbreak response efforts. It also highlights the strain on the global health system, including climate-related changes that can expand the reach of diseases such as dengue, malaria and West Nile virus. The authors call for stronger, more flexible support for WHO and for investment in local health systems so outbreaks can be detected and contained earlier.