Fate of ancient Athens guides WHO at gathering to plan for next pandemic

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addresses the 75th World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

LONDON/GENEVA (Reuters) - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), will have history on his mind when he hosts almost 200 member states at the U.N agency's annual assembly this week.

In a recent white paper laying out his plans for the future of global health security, Tedros began by quoting ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who wanted the world to learn from the mistakes of a devastating plague in Athens in 430 BC.