04/29/2026 - The World Health Organization conducted Exercise Polaris II, a two-day global simulation that brought together 26 countries, around 600 experts, and more than 25 partners to test, under near real-life conditions, the capacity to respond to a health emergency caused by a fictional pathogen. The initiative enabled the assessment of countries’ preparedness, strengthened international coordination, improved information flow, and operationalized strategic frameworks such as the Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC).