G7 leaders in talks over deal to fight threat of new pandemics

Organisation acts days after World Health Organisation acts to develop treaty

G7 health ministers will meet this week, after foreign ministers met last month (Getty Images)

World health leaders are discussing a deal to help reduce the risk of global pandemics and emerging health threats.

G7 nations, along with other countries, are expected to agree to share information on how to detect such threats and the causes.

Early identification of issues with animal and environmental health are considered important to prevent diseases spreading, according to the UK government.

It comes after member states of the World Health Assembly, the main decision-making body of the World Health Organisation, voted last week to assess the benefits of developing a global pandemic treaty.

A working group will be commissioned by the assembly to prepare a report on boosting pandemic preparedness.

Health ministers from the G7 nations will meet at Oxford University on Thursday and Friday in an effort to agree the details.

Officials from India, South Korea, Australia and South Africa will also be involved virtually.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock said: “Globally, we are only as strong as the weakest link in the health security chain. No-one is safe until everyone is safe.

“We need to make better use of advances in our ability to collect, analyse and share health data from all aspects of life, enabling faster collaboration to respond to health security threats and stop diseases in their tracks.

“The UK and our partners in the G7 have a strong track record of working together to support each other and protect the most vulnerable.

“We have an opportunity to learn from this pandemic to collectively build back better and safeguard our global health security.”

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab, in reference to a report on work carried out by G7 members, said: “The report shows that G7 members are working together to supercharge global health security, including recruiting 19,000 ‘disease detectives’ in over 80 countries to help tackle outbreaks before they become epidemics.”

The head of the World Health Organisation called on Monday for negotiations this year on an international treaty to boost pandemic preparedness, as part of sweeping reforms envisioned by member states.

“The one recommendation that I believe will do most to strengthen both WHO and global health security is the recommendation for a treaty on pandemic preparedness and response,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “This is an idea whose time has come.”

Covid-19 has killed nearly 3.7 million people, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Additional reporting by PA