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STORY: WHO / TEDROS PRESSER
TRT: 4:20
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTION: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NAS
DATELINE: 11 FEBRUARY 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, press briefing room
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“Following sustained efforts by manufacturers and partners, the annual global supply of oral cholera vaccine has now doubled, from 35 million doses in 2022 to nearly 70 million doses in 2025. Thanks to this increase, we have now been able to resume preventive vaccination campaigns against cholera after more than three years.”
3. Wide shot, press briefing room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“Last week, Mozambique became the first country to resume preventive vaccination, reaching 1.7 million people at risk of cholera, including in remote areas.”
5. Wide shot, press briefing room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“Preventive vaccination campaigns are also due to start in Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
7. Wide shot, press briefing room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“While vaccines are an important tool, the best investment in preventing cholera is in safe water and sanitation.”
9. Wide shot, press briefing room
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“Today, WHO’s Regional Office for Europe published new data with encouraging news: the number of measles cases in the region dropped by 75% last year compared with 2024. This is due to increased vaccine coverage, community outreach, outbreak response and more.”
11. Wide shot, press briefing room
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“At the same time, five countries in the European Region lost their measles elimination status in 2024. Misunderstanding and confusion about the safety of vaccines are fuelling outbreaks and costing lives in many countries.”
13. Wide shot, press briefing room
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“We must listen carefully to people who have real concerns, and give them the information they need to make the best decisions. At the same time, we must keep saying it: vaccines work. Vaccines are safe. Vaccines save lives.”
15. Wide shot, press briefing room
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“One rare but deadly disease for which we do not yet have a vaccine is Nipah virus. In the past few weeks, three cases of Nipah – two in India and one in Bangladesh – made headlines and caused concern about a wider outbreak.”
17. Wide shot, press briefing room
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“Over 230 contacts have been followed, but no further cases have been identified.”
19. Wide shot, press briefing room
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“WHO is working with India and Bangladesh on risk assessment, follow up of contacts, risk communication and community engagement. WHO assesses the risk of spread of Nipah virus regionally and globally as low.”
21. Wide shot, press briefing room
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“In Sudan, a situation that is already awful continues to deteriorate. Last week, the International Phase Classification published a new alert, saying that famine indicators are worsening in the most vulnerable areas of Sudan.”
23. Wide shot, press briefing room
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“The latest IPC alert shows that two new areas in North Darfur have surpassed thresholds for acute malnutrition – one of three key metrics to confirm famine.”
25. Wide shot, press briefing room
26. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“Without sustained humanitarian access, the situation will continue to spiral, threatening the lives of millions.”
27. Wide shot, press briefing room
28. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“An estimated 4.2 million cases of acute malnutrition are expected across Sudan in 2026, including more than 800,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition, marking a 14 percent increase from 2025.”
29. Wide shot, press briefing room
30. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
“Meanwhile, just when the population needs health care the most, it continues to come under attack. Since the start of the conflict, WHO has verified 205 attacks on health care, leading to 1924 deaths and 529 injuries.”
31. Wide shot, press briefing room
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that annual global supply of oral cholera vaccine doubled from 2022 to 2025, making it possible to resume preventive vaccination campaigns against cholera after more than three years.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke to reporters today (11 Feb) in Geneva, noting that last week, Mozambique became the first country to resume preventive vaccination, “reaching 1.7 million people at risk of cholera, including in remote areas.”
Dr Tedros added, “preventive vaccination campaigns are also due to start in Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
The WHO chief also said, “while vaccines are an important tool, the best investment in preventing cholera is in safe water and sanitation.”
Today, WHO’s Regional Office for Europe published new data with encouraging news: the number of measles cases in the region dropped by 75 percent last year compared with 2024, Dr Tedros announced.
He explained, “this is due to increased vaccine coverage, community outreach, outbreak response and more.”
At the same time, five countries in the European Region lost their measles elimination status in 2024. Dr Tedro said, “misunderstanding and confusion about the safety of vaccines are fuelling outbreaks and costing lives in many countries.”
The Director-General reiterated, “we must listen carefully to people who have real concerns, and give them the information they need to make the best decisions. At the same time, we must keep saying it: vaccines work. Vaccines are safe. Vaccines save lives.”
On Nipah virus, Dr Tedros said that it is a “rare but deadly” disease with no vaccine yet.
According to WHO, in the past few weeks, three cases of Nipah – two in India and one in Bangladesh – made headlines and caused concern about a wider outbreak.
The Director-General added, “over 230 contacts have been followed, but no further cases have been identified.”
He said, “WHO is working with India and Bangladesh on risk assessment, follow up of contacts, risk communication and community engagement. WHO assesses the risk of spread of Nipah virus regionally and globally as low.”
On Sudan, Dr Tedros said that the already awful situation continues to deteriorate.
Last week, the International Phase Classification published a new alert, saying that famine indicators are worsening in the most vulnerable areas of Sudan.
The Director-General said, “the latest IPC alert shows that two new areas in North Darfur have surpassed thresholds for acute malnutrition – one of three key metrics to confirm famine.”
He reiterated, “without sustained humanitarian access, the situation will continue to spiral, threatening the lives of millions.”
According to WHO, an estimated 4.2 million cases of acute malnutrition are expected across Sudan in 2026, including more than 800,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition, marking a 14 percent increase from 2025.
The Director-General said, “just when the population needs health care the most, it continues to come under attack. Since the start of the conflict, WHO has verified 205 attacks on health care, leading to 1924 deaths and 529 injuries.”
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