WHO warns of "fake news" after Elon Musk pandemic treaty tweet

Geneva: The World Health Organization warned against "fake news" on Thursday after Twitter chief Elon Musk tweeted that countries should not "give power to the WHO" amid talks on a new pandemic agreement.

"The claim that the agreement gives the WHO authority is completely false. It is fake news. Countries will decide what the agreement says," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

Tedros did not mention Elon Musk by name, but earlier on Thursday he tweeted a response to the Twitter chief, insisting that "countries do not give sovereignty to the WHO."

"The Pandemic Agreement will not change that. The agreement will help countries better protect against pandemics. It will help us better protect people, whether they live in rich or poor countries," he tweeted.

The exchange comes as negotiations progress toward a global agreement aimed at helping prevent and respond quickly to future epidemics, the final text of which is expected to be voted on by WHO member states in May 2024.

This agreement can address the need for rapid information exchange between countries when faced with a global health emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and aims to prevent the wide disparity seen in access to vaccines during that crisis.

The agreement should require countries to increase national, regional and global preparedness and detection systems to detect pandemic risks.

Even before the talks began, the WHO was battling an array of misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the negotiations and future agreement, including accusations that the organization was plotting to take over the health policies of sovereign nations.

With the agreement under negotiation, "no country will cede any sovereignty to the WHO," Tedros told reporters on Thursday.

"Countries will decide what the treaty says, and nations alone. Nations will implement the treaty according to their own national laws.

"If any politician, businessman, or anyone is confused about what the Pandemic Agreement is or is not, we are more than happy to discuss and explain it."