2 ms·
What has actually been done to prevent the next outbreak? I remember there was an acknowledgement that we all knew something like COVID-19 would happen eventua
by chr-s 4y ago
What has actually been done to prevent the next outbreak?
I remember there was an acknowledgement that we all knew something like COVID-19 would happen eventually. There was Contagion, a 2011 film about a realistic pandemic, or Bill Gates' TED talk, 'The next outbreak? We're not ready', in 2015. Globally, we weren't prepared for what seemed like an inevitability. Perhaps the 1918 flu pandemic was just outside our familial experience. Just as the memory of The Great War fades, and perhaps the lessons of the Second World War as well, as our parents' parents become memories.
Now, we're more prepared. Although, I suspect stockpiles will fall over the next decade. What are we doing to prevent the next outbreak? We know that research of viruses needs the utmost controls and oversight. They are more deadly than nuclear weapons and we should treat them as such. We know keeping animals in close quarters, mixed species, and in poor conditions is a perfect environment for natural viral evolution. I've seen images of chicken farms in the USA and vertical hog farms in China that give me chills. How can we get a handle on this situation?