Global health is facing a complex and challenging landscape in 2026, with multiple interconnected threats that could undermine progress toward health equity. Conflict, climate change, funding cuts, health misinformation, emerging pathogens, and unknown future threats are creating an environment in which disease outbreaks, environmental health risks, and weakened health systems pose serious risks to populations worldwide. Despite these challenges, global health organisations are leveraging research, collaboration, and innovative tools to strengthen preparedness and response mechanisms.
Armed conflicts are a major driver of disease outbreaks, as violence disrupts healthcare systems, displaces populations, and damages essential infrastructure like water, food, and medicine supply chains. In 2024, there were 61 active conflicts in 36 countries, the highest since 1946. Research shows that conflicts exacerbate outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, polio, measles, diphtheria, and tuberculosis, and contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Conflict-affected regions often experience declines in routine immunisation coverage, increasing vulnerability to preventable diseases.
Climate change is intensifying the spread of arboviruses—viruses transmitted by mosquitoes and other arthropods—by altering temperature, rainfall, and flooding patterns. This is expanding the range of diseases like dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and malaria into new regions, including higher latitudes. Extreme weather events, increasingly frequent and severe, are also driving outbreaks by creating breeding grounds for vectors and contaminating water sources. Vulnerable populations in low-income countries, including children, women, and displaced people, are disproportionately affected. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events have already contributed to record global dengue cases and a surge in cholera cases.
Cuts to global health funding are weakening critical health services in low- and middle-income countries. Sharp declines in official development assistance are affecting disease surveillance, vaccination campaigns, maternal care, and emergency preparedness. Between 2023 and 2025, health aid from high-income countries fell from over US$25 billion to around US$15 billion, resulting in disrupted services, job losses among health workers, and declining vaccine coverage, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas. These funding gaps jeopardize disease prevention and outbreak response, leaving communities more vulnerable.
Health misinformation continues to threaten progress by undermining vaccination campaigns, public health messaging, and trust in medical systems. False narratives can reduce adherence to preventive measures and delay responses to emerging health threats, compounding the risks from infectious diseases and epidemics.
Emerging infectious diseases remain a pressing concern, including Marburg virus disease and other high-consequence pathogens. Experts also warn of “Disease X,” a term for the next unknown pathogen capable of triggering a major epidemic or pandemic. While the exact pathogen cannot be predicted, scientists monitor roughly 25 viral families known to infect humans, including zoonotic influenza viruses that could evolve into strains capable of sustained human-to-human transmission. Weak surveillance, limited diagnostics, and fragile health systems increase the risk that such diseases could spread undetected before a rapid response can be mobilised.
Overall, 2026 presents a critical moment for global health preparedness. While scientific tools and platforms for vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics have advanced, the ability to deploy them quickly remains uneven. Funding cuts, workforce losses, weakened surveillance, and the erosion of health systems leave the world more vulnerable to emerging and re-emerging threats. Experts stress that lessons from COVID-19 must be internalised to prevent a “collective amnesia” that could exacerbate the impact of the next major health crisis.
