The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the organization’s May deadline for getting a global pandemic treaty agreed to prepare for “Disease X” is in jeopardy and any notion that the accord would cede national sovereignty is the result of “fake news, lies, and conspiracy theories.” 

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus complained that “several outstanding issues” still needed to be resolved by governments and that time was “very short” to find consensus. World leaders and officials had previously committed to a May deadline but Tedros, who goes by his first name, said he fears that the cutoff date is at risk of not being met.

“I must say that I’m concerned that member states may not make that commitment,” Tedros said in front of the WHO’s executive board in Geneva on Monday.

“A failure to deliver the pandemic agreement and the IHR (International Health Regulations) amendments will be a missed opportunity for which future generations may not forgive us,” Tedros said.

WHO DIRECTOR CALLS FOR WORLD PANDEMIC TREATY TO PREPARE FOR DISEASE X

The IHR is a legally binding agreement that requires countries – including the U.S. – to conduct surveillance for potential international health threats of all kinds and report those to the WHO in a timely manner.

Tedros told the World Economic Forum last week that COVID-19 was the first Disease X and called on nations to sign up to the treaty so that there can be a collective response should another pandemic strike. 

Disease X is a hypothetical “placeholder” virus that has not yet been formed, but scientists say it could be 20 times deadlier than COVID-19. It was added to the WHO’s short list of pathogens for research in 2017 that could cause a “serious international epidemic,” according to a 2022 WHO press release.

“Over the past two years, the intergovernmental negotiating body and the working group on amendments to the IHR, have been moving toward a common goal: to build a healthier, safer, and more equitable world,” Tedros said. 

“This is our chance – maybe our only chance – to get this done, because we have the momentum.”

Tedros did not mention Disease X by name in the speech, but warned of “emerging threats” and said a treaty was urgently needed to strengthen “pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”

An illustrative image of a person holding a medical syringe and a COVID-19 vaccine vial in front of the World Health Organization logo displayed on a screen. Tedros argued that by putting the agreement in place, nations would have timely access to critical response products, such as diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.   (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

MORE THAN HALF OF WHO’S TRANS HEALTH COMMITTEE HAVE NO MEDICAL BACKGROUND, ARE LGBTQ ACTIVISTS: REPORT

Tedros argued that by putting the agreement in place, nations would have timely access to critical response products, such as diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. 

“This is the only way we can make the world safer for our children, and our children’s children – through working together,” Tedros said. “It is difficult to overstate the importance and urgency of this work.”

Critics, including Advancing American Freedom (AAF), argue that the legally binding treaty would cede sovereignty to a global organization and that it amounts to a power grab. The AAF is a non-profit advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.

“The [WHO] proposal to consolidate power and erode the United States of America of its sovereignty through the WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty is untenable and raises serious and significant questions regarding America’s independence of action and ability to respond to global pandemics,” a letter published by the AAF on Tuesday reads.

Furthermore, the AAF points out that the treaty — ostensibly intended to save lives through international prioritization of the best medical practices — emphasizes race and “equity” before almost every other value in its “general principles and approaches.”

Former US Vice President Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom (AAF) non-profit argues that the legally binding treaty would cede sovereignty to a global organization. (Robyn Beck)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It presents ‘equity’ as its third general principle, ahead of responsibility, transparency, accountability, and science and evidence – principles that are magnitudes more important than ‘equity’ during a global pandemic,” the letter reads.

Tedros, in his Monday speech, dismissed suggestions the pact would result in countries losing sovereignty.

“There are those who claim that the pandemic agreement and IHR will cede sovereignty to WHO and give the WHO Secretariat the power to impose lockdowns or vaccine mandates on countries. You know this is fake news, lies, and conspiracy theories,” Tedros said. 

“These claims are completely false. You know that the agreement will give WHO no such powers, because you are writing it.”

When it comes to family, many might assume “the more, the merrier” — but for some, that might not be the case, according to a recent study.

Researchers from The Ohio State University found that teens with a greater number of siblings reported poorer mental health than those who came from smaller families.

“The association between the number of siblings and mental health was negative in two large datasets in different countries (U.S. and China),” Doug Downey, lead author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, told Fox News Digital.

HEART DISEASE RISK INCREASES FOR YOUNG ADULTS WHO HAVE LOST A SIBLING, STUDY FINDS

The large-scale study, published last month in the Journal of Family Issues, included more than 9,400 eighth graders in China and more than 9,100 children of the same age in the U.S.

The participants in both countries answered various questions about their mental health. 

Based on the responses, among the Chinese teens, the ones with no siblings were found to have the best mental health. 

In the U.S., teens with no siblings or just one sibling had the best mental health.

SPIKE IN TEEN DEPRESSION ALIGNS WITH RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, NEW POLL SUGGESTS: ‘IT’S NOT GOING ANYWHERE’

The age differences between siblings also appeared to be a factor, the study found.

Those who had older siblings and siblings who were born within a year of one another were shown to have the worst mental well-being.

One theory about the study’s findings is what Downey calls the “resource dilution” explanation.

“But when you add more siblings, each child gets fewer resources and [less] attention from the parents, and that may have an impact on their mental health,” said one of the study researchers. (iStock)

“If you think of parental resources like a pie, one child means they get all the pie — all the attention and resources of the parents,” he said in an OSU press release.

“But when you add more siblings, each child gets fewer resources and [less] attention from the parents, and that may have an impact on their mental health.”

“If you think of parental resources like a pie, one child means they get all the pie – all the attention and resources of the parents.”

The researchers were surprised by the findings, given that previous research had shown hints of positive outcomes related to siblings, such as better social skills and lower probability of divorce, noted Downey.

‘Cannot be sure it is causal’

The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.

“We found an association between [the] number of siblings and poorer mental health — but we cannot be sure that it is causal,” Downey said.

The researchers also did not analyze the quality of sibling relationships, which could have a direct impact on mental health.

The researchers were surprised by the findings, as previous research had shown hints of positive outcomes related to siblings. However, they noted the study’s limitations. They did not analyze the quality of sibling relationships, for instance. (iStock)

At this point, Downey said, it is too early to recommend any changes in human behavior based on these findings.

“Scholars are only beginning to understand the consequences of fertility change,” he told Fox News Digital.

“As fertility decline continues, understanding the consequences of growing up with fewer siblings becomes increasingly important,” he added. “In this case, the evidence appears to be positive.”

TEACHING VALUES TO OUR KIDS CAN ONLY HELP THEM FLOURISH AND SOUTH CAROLINA IS LEADING THE WAY

Kim Arrington, a clinical psychologist at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, was not involved in the study but offered her input on the findings.

“With this study, we are witnessing the results of the evolution of modern societies away from agrarian societies where having multiple children could be an asset to working farms,” she told Fox News Digital. 

“In psychology, ‘resource dilution’ suggests that the availability of parental resources, such as time, attention and finances, decreases as the number of children in a family increases,” a psychologist told Fox News Digital.  (iStock)

“Now, with greater specialization in jobs and higher economic demands in our culture resulting in many households requiring two working parents, there are fewer resources in the form of attention from parents to go around, no doubt having an effect on child development.”

In Arrington’s opinion, modern cultures are also less likely to have multi-generational households and communities that, in the past, served as additional sources of childcare, when it was easier for families to pool resources. 

“Prior studies showed advantages to having more siblings, so overall the data is mixed.”

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, also was not part of the OSU research, but he shared his thoughts on the concept of “research dilution.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“In psychology, ‘resource dilution’ suggests that the availability of parental resources, such as time, attention and finances, decreases as the number of children in a family increases,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“The authors also mention that prior studies showed advantages to having more siblings, so overall the data is mixed,” he added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Dimitriu said he would expect there to be a “sweet spot” for the number of siblings.

“It appears 0 to 1 may be optimal, per this study — however, I would also expect numerous factors to impact this, including socioeconomic factors, parental divorce and parenting styles.”

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

• Gene therapy has successfully restored hearing in some children born with inherited deafness, health officials say.
• A study in China and another at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia documented significant improvements in hearing in treated children.
• Cochlear implants are commonly used for children with hereditary deafness, but gene therapy offers a potential treatment.

Gene therapy has allowed several children born with inherited deafness to hear.

A small study published Wednesday documents significantly restored hearing in five of six kids treated in China. On Tuesday, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia announced similar improvements in an 11-year-old boy treated there. And earlier this month, Chinese researchers published a study showing much the same in two other children.

So far, the experimental therapies target only one rare condition. But scientists say similar treatments could someday help many more kids with other types of deafness caused by genes. Globally, 34 million children have deafness or hearing loss, and genes are responsible for up to 60% of cases. Hereditary deafness is the latest condition scientists are targeting with gene therapy, which is already approved to treat illnesses such as sickle cell disease and severe hemophilia.

DEAF GIRL FINALLY TELLS SANTA WHAT SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS AFTER ELF HELPS HER ‘SIGN’ HER WISH LIST

Children with hereditary deafness often get a device called a cochlear implant that helps them hear sound.

“No treatment could reverse hearing loss … That’s why we were always trying to develop a therapy,” said Zheng-Yi Chen of Boston’s Mass Eye and Ear, a senior author of the study published Wednesday in the journal Lancet. “We couldn’t be more happy or excited about the results.”

The team captured patients’ progress in videos. One shows a baby, who previously couldn’t hear at all, looking back in response to a doctor’s words six weeks after treatment. Another shows a little girl 13 weeks after treatment repeating father, mother, grandmother, sister and “I love you.”

All the children in the experiments have a condition that accounts for 2% to 8% of inherited deafness. It’s caused by mutations in a gene responsible for an inner ear protein called otoferlin, which helps hair cells transmit sound to the brain. The one-time therapy delivers a functional copy of that gene to the inner ear during a surgical procedure. Most of the kids were treated in one ear, although one child in the two-person study was treated in both ears.

The study with six children took place at Fudan University in Shanghai, co-led by Dr. Yilai Shu, who trained in Chen’s lab, which collaborated on the research. Funders include Chinese science organizations and biotech company Shanghai Refreshgene Therapeutics.

Researchers observed the children for about six months. They don’t know why the treatment didn’t work in one of them. But the five others, who previously had complete deafness, can now hear a regular conversation and talk with others. Chen estimates they now hear at a level around 60% to 70% of normal. The therapy caused no major side effects.

Preliminary results from other research have been just as positive. New York’s Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced in October that a child under 2 in a study they sponsored with Decibel Therapeutics showed improvements six weeks after gene therapy. The Philadelphia hospital — one of several sites in a test sponsored by a subsidiary of Eli Lilly called Akouos — reported that their patient, Aissam Dam of Spain, heard sounds for the first time after being treated in October. Though they are muffled like he’s wearing foam earplugs, he’s now able to hear his father’s voice and cars on the road, said Dr. John Germiller, who led the research in Philadelphia.

“It was a dramatic improvement,” Germiller said. “His hearing is improved from a state of complete and profound deafness with no sound at all to the level of mild to moderate hearing loss, which you can say is a mild disability. And that’s very exciting for us and for everyone. “

Columbia University’s Dr. Lawrence Lustig, who is involved in the Regeneron trial, said although the children in these studies don’t wind up with perfect hearing, “even a moderate hearing loss recovery in these kids is pretty astounding.”

NORTH CAROLINA BABY HEARS HER FATHER’S VOICE FOR THE FIRST TIME — IMMEDIATELY BURSTS INTO TEARS

Still, he added, many questions remain, such as how long the therapies will last and whether hearing will continue to improve in the kids.

Also, some people consider gene therapy for deafness ethically problematic. Teresa Blankmeyer Burke, a deaf philosophy professor and bioethicist at Gallaudet University, said in an email that there’s no consensus about the need for gene therapy targeting deafness. She also pointed out that deafness doesn’t cause severe or deadly illness like, for example, sickle cell disease. She said it’s important to engage with deaf community members about prioritization of gene therapy, “particularly as this is perceived by many as potentially an existential threat to the flourishing of signing Deaf communities.”

Meanwhile, researchers said their work is moving forward.

“This is real proof showing gene therapy is working,” Chen said. “It opens up the whole field.”

Some scientists are warning of the potential for “Arctic zombie viruses” in Siberia, according to reports.

The claim is that as climate change causes the Arctic permafrost to thaw, it will release ancient viruses that could put people at risk of disease.

National Geographic defines “permafrost” as “a permanently frozen layer below Earth’s surface [that] consists of soil, gravel and sand, usually bound together by ice.”

NEW COVID VARIANT JN.1 NOW COMPRISES UP TO 30% OF US CASES: CDC

Jean-Michel Claverie, PhD, a geneticist and an emeritus professor at the School of Medicine of Aix-Marseille University in the South of France, has conducted extensive research on Arctic zombie viruses, also referred to as “Methuselah microbes.”

In 2015, a research team unearthed several viruses from the permafrost, which were estimated to be 30,000 years old, as Claverie wrote in an article published by Think Global Health on Jan. 18.

“It is now clear that a significant proportion of prehistorical viruses can remain infectious for even longer periods of time,” Claverie wrote.

After being stable for the last 400,000 years, the Siberian permafrost could become “threatened” due to global warming, according to the researcher.

CDC’S COMMENTS ON TODAY’S PNEUMONIA OUTBREAKS VS. THE EARLY COVID CASES, AS COMPARED BY EXPERTS

Thawing “increases the release and revival of permafrost microbes, including ancient ones from the late Pleistocene (i.e., the last 100,000 years),” Claverie wrote.

“Our species — hence, our immune system — has never been in contact with most of those microbes during its evolution.”

Permafrost, seen at the top of the cliff, melts into the Kolyma River, Siberia, Russia on July 6, 2019. The permafrost, some of which is tens of thousands of years old, is melting at a rapid rate and uncovering prehistoric bones and animals. (Getty Images)

Previous research has identified many different types of bacteria in permafrost that are linked to some common human pathogens, according to Claverie.

Those have included Acinetobacter, Bacillus anthracis, Brucella, Campylobacter, Clostridia, Mycoplasma, various Enterobacteria, Mycobacteria, Streptococci, Staphylococci and Rickettsia.

“Our species — hence, our immune system — has never been in contact with most of those microbes.”

While Claverie said we can “reasonably believe” that modern antibiotics could control many of these older pathogenic bacterium, he also said the situation would be “much more disastrous” in the case of an “ancient or unknown virus” being released from permafrost and causing animal or human diseases.

A member of the research team displays a visual on his phone in a laboratory at the Information Gnomic and Structural Center (IGS) of Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, on Sept. 25, 2023. (Getty Images)

“As unfortunately well-demonstrated by the most recent pandemics (for example, COVID and AIDS), each new virus, even related to previously known families, requires the development of highly specific medical responses, such as new antivirals and vaccines,” he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Claverie requesting additional comment.

NEW ANTIBIOTIC KILLS DEADLY, DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA IN ‘SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH’

Marion Koopmans, PhD, head of the Erasmus MC Department of Viroscience in the Netherlands, confirmed that there is documentation of hidden viruses that can still infect bacteria and unicellular organisms. 

“That means the potential is there,” she told Fox News Digital via email. “You then would have to assume that viruses that may be able to infect humans or wild animals also could be present and at some point be released.”

Koopsmans added, “Given that, I think it is wise to think through where risk of exposure could be highest and monitor for health effects in those places.”

Virologist Jean-Michel Claverie is pictured at the Information Gnomic and Structural department of Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, on Sept. 25, 2023. (Getty Images)

Edward Liu, M.D., chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, acknowledged that permafrost viruses are a “valid concern, if long-disappeared viruses start circulating in a naive population.”  

He also told Fox News Digital, “But so are zoonotic viruses (animal viruses), which spread to the human population when people and animals come into contact due to demand for wet markets, which was a possible source of COVID-19 in China.”

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IS ON THE RISE, DOCTOR WARNS: ‘THIS IS AN ENORMOUS PROBLEM’

Other potential sources include bush meat (African markets that allow exposure to animal viruses) or just human civilization pushing into wildlife areas, Liu added.

“In each case, a virus enters a naive population, so we have no herd immunity to slow it down,” he said.

To reduce the risk, Liu called for “cooperative internal research” into animal viruses and possibly permafrost viruses.

Other potential sources of novel viruses include wet markets, an expert noted. (iStock)

“When a new virus hits, scientists can then sequence the genetic material,” he said. 

“MRNA vaccine technology is much faster at creating new vaccines than older technologies, which involved growing viruses and inactivating them,” Liu went on. “So we can make an effective vaccine in weeks rather than years.”

“In each case, a virus enters a naive population, so we have no herd immunity to slow it down.”

Liu also said we need systems that pick up new outbreaks faster — “so we can send experts to determine their cause before it spreads into an epidemic.” 

He added, “Nations have to agree to allow access during outbreaks and avoid political interference.”

Husband and wife virologists Jean-Michel Claverie, right, and Chantal Abergel work on an X-ray diffraction device used to determine the 3D structure of viral proteins in a lab at the Information Gnomic and Structural Center (IGS) of Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, Sept. 25, 2023. (Getty Images)

Dr. Christian Sandrock, who specializes in emerging infectious diseases at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, also weighed in on the potential risk of frozen viruses.

“As climate change and other human-related issues occur, we are always exposed to new things,” he told Fox News Digital. “This has been happening for a long time. The real issue arises if these microbes can then become transmissible to humans and cause sustained transmission afterward that can lead to a pandemic.”  

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“Right now, we are just discovering what is there,” he added. 

“We need it to have sustained transmission for it to be really concerning.”

One expert called for “cooperative internal research” into animal viruses and possibly permafrost viruses. (iStock)

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, noted that while it’s possible that there are viruses in the melting permafrost that could cause sickness, there would likely need to be “several steps” that occur before they would spark a pandemic.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“They would likely have to go through many changes to adapt to or spread among modern hosts,” he told Fox News Digital.

“Much more concerning is the close contact with animals and humans in Asia, which can and does lead to zoonotic spillover to humans,” said Siegel.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

‘GUT-WRENCHING’ – Emily Blackburn is pushing for research and funds to help her 8-year-old son, Grayson Naff, who has a rare and fatal childhood disease. Continue reading…

DEMENTIA DIVIDE – Alzheimer’s researchers have identified five different subgroups among people with the disease. Continue reading…

MEN’S HEALTH ALERT – Amid several high-profile cases, an oncologist debunks several myths about prostate cancer. Continue reading…

From left to right: King Charles III, Dexter King, Ryne Sandberg and Lloyd Austin. Amid a flurry of high-profile prostate cancer announcements, doctors are debunking common myths and emphasizing the importance of early screenings. (Getty Images)

OZEMPIC OVERDOSES – As poison control centers field more calls related to semaglutide, doctors urge caution. Continue reading…

WINTER ‘HIBERNATION’ – Should you live differently in the colder months? Here’s what mental health experts recommend. Continue reading…

PSYCHEDELICS FOR PTSD – Here’s why a Marine veteran is pushing for the approval of MDMA and magic mushrooms for mental health treatment. Continue reading…

Both MDMA and psilocybin-assisted therapies (also known as ecstasy and magic mushrooms) will be studied by the VA. (iStock)

ASK AN EXPERT – Is it always necessary to take Paxlovid after a positive COVID test? A registered nurse weighs in. Continue reading…

CANCER ALERT – Among people under 50, there is a new leading cause of cancer deaths. Here’s what to know. Continue reading…

TUMMY TOUCHES – Is it ever OK to touch a pregnant woman’s belly? Etiquette experts and moms weigh in. Continue reading…

For pregnant women who don’t welcome other people’s hands on their bellies, one etiquette expert recommended using verbal and non-verbal cues to keep unsolicited touches at bay. (iStock)

FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS

Fox News First

Fox News Opinion

Fox News Lifestyle

Fox News Health

Fox News Autos

Fox News Entertainment (FOX411)

DOWNLOAD OUR APPS

Fox News

Fox Business

Fox Weather

Fox Sports

Tubi

WATCH FOX NEWS ONLINE

Fox News Go

STREAM FOX NATION

Fox Nation