Exercise Polaris II: The WHO Rehearsed Ten Days Before the Hondius Outbreak
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On 22–23 April 2026, the WHO conducted Exercise Polaris II: a two-day pandemic simulation involving 26 countries, 600 health experts, and more than 25 partner organisations. The scenario: a fictional new bacterial strain spreading across 27 countries. Ten days later, the WHO confirmed the first hantavirus cluster aboard the MV Hondius.