World must prepare for inevitable next flu pandemic, WHO says

By Kate Kelland

LONDON (Reuters) - The world will inevitably face another pandemic of flu and needs to prepare for the potential devastation it could cause, and not underestimate the risks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

Outlining a global plan to fight the viral disease and get ahead of a potential global outbreak, the WHO said the next influenza pandemic "is a matter of when, not if".

"The threat of pandemic influenza is ever-present," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general, said in a statement. "We must be vigilant and prepared – the cost of a major influenza outbreak will far outweigh the price of prevention."

(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Gareth Jones)