How prepared is the world to take on another pandemic? Not very, according to two of the world’s foremost experts on the subject. Speaking at the recently concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Dr. Sylvie Briand, a specialist in infectious diseases from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Elhadj As Sy, the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, each shared their thoughts on the matter of the world’s preparedness for the next pandemic.
According to the two experts, the world should stop looking at pandemics as sort of isolated incidents and instead start recognizing them as the population-wiping abominations that they truly are. As Elhadj As Sy stated to the AFP, “Pandemics are becoming a real threat to humanity.” And Dr. Brand agrees, adding: “We know that it is coming, but we have no way of stopping it.” They spoke at Davos in a discussion titled, “Are We Ready For The Next Pandemic?”
Evidently, the answer to their question there is a resounding no. But why exactly do they feel like concern levels should be raised much higher in regards with pandemics, and how will they affect the world’s populations?
Based on their talk, their main concern is the fact that a global pandemic could be a very real possibility in the near future because of the ease of air travel. They believe that something seemingly simple such as a flu virus could end up mutating and ultimately result in the death of millions of people. In fact, this sort of scenario has already happened in the past: the swine flu pandemic of 2009 occurred because of a mutated flu virus. Its death toll has since been estimated to be around 300,000 people all over the world, in around 60 different countries.
Only recently, a plague outbreak happened in Madagascar, which prompted 10 nearby African countries to be on high alert. Although the Madagascar plague outbreak was stopped and there were international aid efforts to minimize the damages that it caused, it still resulted in the deaths of more than 200 individuals, as the outbreak was said to have ravaged the island throughout the winter.
So what exactly does ease of travel have to do with all of this? Dr. Briand lays it out thusly: “When we travel, the viruses travel with us.” In short, she views the availability of easy travel options as one of the possible catalysts for the spread of viruses in the next pandemic, which could very well be a global one. “Humanity is more vulnerable in the face of epidemics because we are much more connected and we travel around much more quickly than before,” she concluded.
There’s a fair chance that they could turn out to be exactly right, and the entire world could suffer major consequences as soon as the next pandemic occurs. But there are ways for you to increase your odds of survival, regardless of whether the disease spreads in your location or not.
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