Bloomberg: world must prepare for new global pandemic
In the next decade, the world may be hit by a new pandemic, and it is necessary to start preparing for it now – as forecast by the author of the material for Bloomberg, RIA Novosti reports
According to the journalist, ‘there is a 27.5 percent chance a pandemic as deadly as COVID-19 could take place in the next decade as viruses emerge more frequently’.
This is reportedly due to climate change, a growth in international travel, increasing populations and the threat posed by zoonotic diseases.
Currently, health experts are preparing for a new potential global threat, the publication states. In particular, over the past two decades, three main types of coronavirus have already emerged, causing SARS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and COVID-19.
Along with this, the journalist notes that the rapid spread of the H5N1 bird flu strain is already stoking concerns. While so far just a small number of people have been infected, skyrocketing rates in birds and increasing incursions in mammals have led to concern among scientists and governments that the virus may be mutating in ways that could make it easier to spread.
Many high-risk pathogens, such as MERS and Zika virus, have no vaccines or treatments, and monitoring them is unlikely to help detect the onset of a new pandemic in a timely manner, highlighting the need for preparedness measures, according to a Bloomberg publication.
