{"slug": "hard-hats-ai-and-a-fake-pandemic-the-group-of-former-world-leaders-practising-to", "title": "Hard hats, AI and a fake pandemic: the group of former world leaders practising to save the world", "summary": "A group of former world leaders, known as the Elders and founded by Nelson Mandela, conducted a simulation of a health emergency in Kenya to test global pandemic preparedness. The exercise revealed critical shortcomings, such as delays in reporting and political hesitancy, which were later reflected in the real-world challenges of the subsequent Ebola outbreak.", "body_md": "A group set up by Nelson Mandela known as the Elders met in Kenya to model a health emergency – and found much still needs to be done, as the subsequent Ebola outbreak has shown\nAbout a dozen people sat around a boardroom table at the emergency hub of the World Health Organization (WHO) just outside Nairobi last Thursday, their eyes glued to an animated presentation on a screen.\nHealth workers in eastern Chad have reported several deaths among patients with respiratory failure, they are told. Initial samples suggest a novel variant of bird flu, but confirmation requires sending samples to a foreign laboratory. International health regulations require notification within 24 hours of assessment, but Chad’s government is hesitant to notify the WHO, fearing economic repercussions and stigma.\nContinue reading...", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/hard-hats-ai-and-a-fake-pandemic-the-group-of-former-world-leaders-practising-to", "canonical_source": "https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/may/21/pandemic-group-of-former-world-leaders-elders-practising-health-emergency-planning", "published_at": "2026-05-21 09:00:07+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-21 15:00:34.655538+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["policy-regulation"], "entities": ["Nelson Mandela", "The Elders", "World Health Organization", "Chad"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/hard-hats-ai-and-a-fake-pandemic-the-group-of-former-world-leaders-practising-to", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/hard-hats-ai-and-a-fake-pandemic-the-group-of-former-world-leaders-practising-to.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/hard-hats-ai-and-a-fake-pandemic-the-group-of-former-world-leaders-practising-to.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/hard-hats-ai-and-a-fake-pandemic-the-group-of-former-world-leaders-practising-to.jsonld"}}