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Bill Gates thinks an infectious disease outbreak could kill 30 million people in the next decade — but the US is cutting efforts to prevent global pandemics
Diseases know no national borders and can jump from one species to another, as happened to with Ebola, MERS, SARS, and various other epidemics in recent years. Because of that, many experts think that we need to be better prepared to conduct global disease surveillance in order to prevent future outbreaks.
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- Health Care
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- North America
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The World Bank’s “pandemic bonds” are designed so investors pay in the event of an outbreak
The money raised comprises the bulk of a $500 million Pandemic Emergency Financial Facility that will provide funds for poor countries in case of outbreaks of infectious diseases over the next five years. The bonds are designed to transfer the risk of a health crisis in low-income countries to the global financial markets. World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said this will help move away from “the cycle of panic and neglect” that has characterized recent pandemics.
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- Health Care
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With Another Pandemic Looming, Let’s Change Perspective
We cannot prevent the emergence of new viruses, according to Dr. Melvin Sanicas, a Global Health Fellow and program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but we can take measures to prevent small epidemics from becoming big ones, including investing in infrastructures for preparedness.
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