There will be a new pandemic but we can prepare

Infectious disease experts say another pandemic is coming, but there are ways to prepare.

Tom Friedenthe former head of the US National Public Health Agency, the CDC, believes that two years into the epidemic, we have learned on the one hand the biggest lesson about the importance of public health in a hundred years, and on the other hand, we risk entering the cycle of panic and neglect, I wrote. CNN.

The cycle of panic and neglect is usually underinvestment, or insufficient attention being paid to the public health infrastructure and functions needed to prevent, recognize and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.

Another pandemic seems inevitable

Larry Brilliantan epidemiologist and CEO of Pandefense Advisory, an interdisciplinary network of experts involved in pandemic response, believes that we live in a time of epidemics.

According to him, 60 percent of all diseases originate from animals and spread to humans, and in the past 20 years these risks have increased, and it is believed that the risk is increasing more every year.

Mistakes were made but we learned

in life itself conference sad Anthony FauciD., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that while public health made mistakes during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned from experience.

“Investing in basic and clinical biomedical research has enabled us, at unparalleled speed, to develop highly effective vaccines,” he told CNN.

He added that we must continue to invest, not only in science, but also in public health infrastructure.

Six things that can help

Tom Frieden said it is not yet clear whether we will use the lessons learned from the ongoing pandemic, but he believes it is necessary to end it, and so that disease outbreaks do not turn into epidemics that take millions of lives.

Much of the preparations to deal with a pandemic has to be done by the health services, but experts in infectious diseases believe that the general public can also play an important role, and here are some things that can help.

1. Increase funding for health care.
2. Nature protection.
3. Act early and fast.
4. Improving communication about public health.
5. Fighting misinformation.
6. Take care.

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Read more: The World Health Organization warns: infection from animals is becoming more common [Dagens PS]