WHO warns of ‘fake news’ after Musk pandemic treaty tweet

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation on Thursday warned against “fake news” after Twitter boss Elon Musk tweeted that countries should not “cede authority to WHO” amid negotiations over a new pandemic treaty.

“The claim that the accord will cede power to WHO is quite simply false. It´s fake news. Countries will decide what the accord says,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

Tedros did not mention Musk by name, but earlier on Thursday he had also tweeted a response at the Twitter chief, insisting “countries aren´t ceding sovereignty to WHO.” “The Pandemic Accord won´t change that. The accord will help countries better guard against pandemics. It will help us to better protect people regardless of whether they live in countries that are rich or poor,” he tweeted.

The exchange came as negotiations proceed towards a global accord aimed at helping prevent and swiftly respond to future pandemics, with a final text expected to go to a vote among WHO member states in May 2024.