Humanity can expect a new pandemic with a 50% probability in the next 20 years. This estimate was made by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in an interview he gave to the newspaper. El DiarioIt was published on Sunday, May 29.
“It could come from a virus we already know. One type of flu could be a different type of coronavirus.
And that at least gives us some insight into how we can get a cure and a vaccine very quickly. But it could be something else. A man-made virus could be a bioterrorist who developed it and deliberately spread it. This is a very scary scenario because they can try to spread it to different places at the same time, ”says the businessman.
He also acknowledged the natural origin of another pandemic. “It could be something from the natural world.
The human population is increasing and we are invading new ecosystems.
So, I calculated that in the next 20 years we have a 50% chance of experiencing a pandemic of natural origin as a result of climate change,” Gates explained.
To combat pandemics, in his opinion, it is necessary to create a “global epidemic response and mobilization team” of the entrepreneur compared to firefighters. “What I’m proposing will require a 25% increase in the WHO budget and with that we will have a team of around 3,000 people with different profiles,” he said.
monkey flower
At the same time, Gates does not believe that the monkeypox epidemic will turn into a new epidemic. However, he is concerned about the spread of a rare disease.
“We need to analyze why suddenly there are hundreds of cases in Europe where the virus is not common. This seems to be due to some change in the way the virus is transmitted now. It’s a little scary that it’s smallpox related, but I don’t think there will be a next epidemic.
But it’s great that we’re awake. “Without the coronavirus pandemic, monkeypox wouldn’t even be in the news,” he said.
Talking about ways to control the spread of various diseases, the Microsoft founder drew attention to mosquito nets. “We launch a new generation mosquito net every 3-4 years. They are inexpensive if produced on a large scale.
There are other more complex methods as well. We’re testing one that contains mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to eliminate the malarial circulation so they don’t breed and reduce the population significantly over several years. That’s what we’re working on in the lab. “I think we’ll have it ready in five years,” Gates said.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease transmitted mainly from wild animals (rodents, primates) to humans. Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue. Skin rashes can also be seen on the face and other parts of the body.
Latest data as of May 2022 bring out 135 confirmed cases of monkeypox in 19 countries.
Source: Gazeta
