Latest news with #ExercisePolaris
Russia Today
15-04-2025
- Health
- Russia Today
WHO rehearses deadly ‘mammothpox' outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently rehearsed a scenario in which an ancient virus lying dormant in the remains of a woolly mammoth caused a deadly global outbreak of 'mammothpox,' The Telegraph has reported, citing documents about the exercise it had obtained. The press release by the global health authority stated that earlier this month more than 15 countries took part in Exercise Polaris, which 'simulated an outbreak of a fictional virus spreading across the world,' aiming to test readiness for a new pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned earlier this month that a new pandemic 'could happen in 20 years or more, or it could happen tomorrow,' describing it as an 'epidemiological certainty.' The exercise reportedly simulated an outbreak of 'Mammothpox,' a fictional virus similar to smallpox, a disease with a 30% mortality rate that was eradicated in 1980, and mpox, a dangerous variant of which is currently surging across central Africa. READ MORE: US company wants to 'resurrect' mammoths According to the scenario, the virus was released after a team of scientists and documentary filmmakers excavated the remains of a woolly mammoth in the Arctic. Within weeks, intensive care units across the world were 'overwhelmed' and health systems were struggling to cope. Although the countries involved in the exercise were able to contain the fictional virus, a real outbreak would prove much more complicated, the WHO acknowledged. The agency's briefing document reportedly stated that 'ancient viruses can remain viable in permafrost for thousands of years,' and the thawing of the permafrost in the Arctic due to climate change may cause a 'release of pathogens previously unknown to modern medicine.' Taking advantage of the warmer temperatures, scientists and ivory hunters are digging for ancient remains in the Arctic, including those of woolly mammoths, The Telegraph noted. Many ivory hunters reportedly carry out the excavations without taking adequate health precautions. READ MORE: Scientists learn cause of killer outbreak in Congo Scientists have also been studying ancient samples, with researchers working on bringing to life 'zombie viruses' found alongside frozen animal remains, which could potentially be deadly to humans. A virus revived by French scientist Jean-Michel Claverie in 2023 was 48,500 years old, based on radiocarbon dating.
The Independent
15-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
WHO tests the world's pandemic response with fictional ‘mammothpox' outbreak
The World Health Organisation has tested 15 countries on their response to a hypothetical new pandemic, simulating the deadly outbreak of a fictional disease. More than 350 health emergency experts took part in a two-day simulation looking at how they would deal with 'mammothpox', an invented virus similar to smallpox and mpox that was described as 'lethal and fast-moving'. In the scenario, called Exercise Polaris, the outbreak occurred when a team of scientists discovered the remains of a woolly mammoth in the frozen Arctic tundra. Representatives from the countries looked at how they would deal with the first few weeks of the outbreak, according to exercise documents seen by The Independent. 'Mammothpox disease is severe, with a mortality intermediate between Mpox and Smallpox,' according to the papers. 'With modest transmissibility and minimal asymptomatic spread it is controllable', they added, but only with 'effective coordinated responses – similar to SARS or Mpox'. Participants included Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Iraq, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia Uganda and Ukraine, with additional countries as observers. Each country was given a 'small piece of the puzzle' to test how they would share information and co-operate in order to contain the spread of the virus, according to The Telegraph. The newspaper reported that one country was told that an Arctic researcher 'presenting with symptoms of a pox-like illness' had boarded a cruise ship carrying 2,450 passengers and 980 crew. By the second day of the exercise, participants were told plans to prevent the spread of the virus were being hampered by politics and differing strategies. While some countries implemented 'strict border controls, banned all international arrivals and restricted internal movement,' the newspaper reported, others maintained 'open borders with minimal restrictions,' relying instead on 'contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine measures'. Within weeks, ICUs were 'overwhelmed' and health systems struggled to cope across the globe. The intent of the programme was to see how countries would deal in the event of another worldwide outbreak, following the real-world experience of Covid five years ago. Exercise Polaris tested the WHO's Global health Emergency Corps, a framework designed to strengthen countries' emergency workforce, coordinate the deployment of surge teams and experts and enhance collaboration between countries. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said: 'This exercise proves that when countries lead and partners connect, the world is better prepared. 'No country can face the next pandemic alone. Exercise Polaris shows that global cooperation is not only possible – it is essential.'
