GENEVA, Switzerland: The World Health Organization (WHO) has not ordered governments to cancel all upcoming elections due to the outbreak of bird flu.
Some social media posts falsely claim that the WHO has advised countries to cancel elections and prepare for strict lockdowns because of the bird flu “disease outbreak emergency.”
This false claim originated from a July 6 article by The People’s Voice, a website known for previously sharing false stories that have been debunked by Reuters.
The second paragraph of the article falsely states: “In an urgent notice posted to its website, the WHO claims that Bird Flu is set to become the next Pandemic, and will be deadlier than COVID.” The article references a June 2024 WHO publication following the death of a man in Mexico from the H5N2 strain of bird flu, but this publication does not mention the cancellation of elections or compare the bird flu strain to COVID-19.
Public health experts are concerned about the potential for the disease to turn into another pandemic. Current government measures include monitoring farm visits. However, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier clarified via email that the WHO has not ordered governments to cancel elections and does not have the authority to do so.
As of July, four people in the U.S. have tested positive for bird flu, all of whom are dairy farm workers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated on July 3 that the risk to the general public remains low, with higher risk for those exposed to infected animals.
VERDICT: False. The WHO did not instruct governments to cancel upcoming elections due to a bird flu outbreak.
