Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
WHO-DG, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Geneva – The World Health Organization (WHO) urges the United States to disclose any intelligence it holds on to the origins of COVID-19, warning that the absence of critical information continues to delay conclusions about how the pandemic began.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday at a conference in Washington failed to share any classified findings before formally exiting the UN health agency, despite publicly claiming to possess intelligence on the virus’s origins.
“Several countries, especially the United States, have said they have intelligence,” Tedros tells reporters. “We officially asked them to share any information they have, but we have not received anything.”
COVID-19, first detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, is estimated by WHO to have killed around 20 million people globally, overwhelming health systems and devastating economies. Determining how SARS-CoV-2 emerged remains central to preventing future pandemics.
The appeal follows the expiration of the United States’ one-year withdrawal notice, submitted by President Donald Trump in January 2025, citing alleged WHO mismanagement of the pandemic. Trump’s administration openly backs the theory that the virus leaked from a Wuhan laboratory.
WHO officials stress that investigations into COVID-19’s origins remain inconclusive, with all hypotheses still under consideration. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s pandemic threat lead, confirms that intelligence reports referenced by the US have not been shared beyond publicly available material.
“We continue to follow up, including with the US, but we do not have those reports,” she says.
WHO rejects claims by US officials that it obstructed information sharing, insisting the opposite is true. The agency also notes that Washington still owes about $260 million in unpaid contributions for 2024 and 2025.
Tedros urges any government with credible evidence to come forward, warning that unresolved questions leave the world vulnerable to another global health catastrophe.
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Otamere Gladness 
Chukwu Obinna 