TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Instagram post [archive] uploaded on May 22, 2026, claimed that World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the hantavirus outbreak was being used to promote mass childhood vaccination programs.
The post featured photos and video clips of Tedros' speech at a high-level WHO forum. In the footage, he urged governments worldwide to boost funding for broader immunization initiatives, calling compliance with WHO health directives a moral obligation.
However, did the WHO really issue this statement?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the claim using reverse image searches and cross-referencing credible media reports. The investigation revealed that Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus never stated that the Hantavirus was being used to promote mass child vaccination programs. Instead, the video footage was edited to fabricate a different narrative.
Clip 1
The original video of the WHO chief was recorded during a press briefing on the Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks on May 15, 2026. Identical footage was published by the website c-spain.org and the YouTube channel Kontan TV on May 16, 2026.
During that briefing, Tedros outlined developments surrounding the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, where 10 hantavirus cases had been confirmed, resulting in three fatalities. He also addressed a fresh Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that had claimed 65 lives. Crucially, Tedros reassured the public that the hantavirus did not pose a widespread threat to global populations.
The session covered several other pressing global health matters, including the humanitarian toll of Middle East conflicts, the crisis in Haiti, breakthroughs in infant malaria treatments, trachoma elimination milestones in Australia, and the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system under negotiation ahead of the World Health Assembly.
Clip 2
This segment was sourced from videos uploaded by APT and Kompas TV on May 10, 2026. It depicts the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius docking at the Port of Tenerife on Sunday morning, May 10, 2026, where more than 140 passengers and crew members were subsequently evacuated.
In response to public concerns, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Tenerife to inspect international health response preparations, where he emphasized the necessity of global solidarity.
Speaking from the Port of Granadilla de Abona, Tedros assured local residents that the domestic risk level remained low and commended Spain's swift emergency response. While acknowledging that the trauma from the COVID-19 pandemic runs deep, he urged citizens to rely on verified health authorities.
Clip 3
This footage was originally distributed by YouTube accounts of Reuters and AFP Español on May 18, 2026. The clips capture the opening session of the WHO's annual assembly in Geneva amid concerns over the Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks.
Addressing delegates at the assembly's opening, Tedros provided situational updates. The WHO designated the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern after the death toll climbed to 80.
CONCLUSION
Following a thorough review, Tempo concludes that the allegation claiming the WHO is using the hantavirus outbreak to push a mass childhood vaccination agenda is false.
TEMPO FACT-CHECK TEAM
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