WHO 79th World Health Assembly Upgrades AI Epidemic Intelligence to 120+ Countries, Expands Digital Health Certification to 2 Billion People

At the opening of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 19, 2026, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced two landmark expansions of AI-powered global health infrastructure. The Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system — which uses AI and natural language processing to scan global media, official reports, and digital signals for emerging disease threats — was upgraded and now supports more than 120 countries with daily outbreak detection. The EIOS expansion positions AI as the backbone of WHO's early warning architecture, specifically targeting the gap between local health events and international notification that was exposed during COVID-19. Separately, the Global Digital Health Certification Network expanded to 82 countries, giving approximately 2 billion people access to their health records on national digital health wallets — a foundational element for AI-driven personalized care in lower-income countries. The DG's address framed both milestones as AI-enabled public health infrastructure essential for pandemic preparedness, not standalone technology projects.