G7 agree pact to better prepare for future pandemics

BERLIN (AP) — The Group of Seven wealthy democracies has announced plans to strengthen epidemiological early-warning systems to detect infectious diseases with pandemic potential. Germany’s health minister said Friday that an existing World Health Organization office in Berlin would be used to gather and analyze data more quickly. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the G-7 also wants to increase compulsory contributions to WHO by 50% in the long term to ensure the U.N. agency can perform fulfill its global leadership role. The ministers who met in Germany’s capital this week separately agreed to better protect the global population from the health impacts of global warming by making adaptation to climate change part of medical training.