HEARTFELT APPLAUSEgreeted the adoption on May 20th of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, a treaty that commits governments to be more responsible and less selfish when future pandemics emerge. There was doubtless an edge of relief to the clapping. After three years of fierce argument, an overwhelming majority of health ministers and officials from over 130 countries—but not America, which isleaving theWHOand boycotting the treaty—voted to approve the text.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Fighting the next pandemic”
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