An Ant's Guide to Being Prepared | Pandemic Preparedness | Wellcome
Channel: Wellcome
Date: 2021-12-16

The world could have been much better prepared for Covid-19. So now we must ask: How well prepared are we going to be for the next pandemic?  

The risk of another pandemic is high. 

Our 21st century way of life increases this risk. Climate change, intensive farming and international travel, enable diseases to spread across the world faster than ever before. 

As the Omicron variant spreads across the world at rapid speed, we are reminded yet again of the need for global networks that work together to identify and stop infectious diseases. 

The task facing world leaders now, even as they continue to deal with Covid-19, is to work together to ensure we are better prepared for the next outbreak.  

There are two paths world leaders can take.  

It’s a little like Aesop’s fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper – a story about the virtues of planning for the future. Like the ants in the fable, we could learn from Covid-19, stock-up, prepare and keep watch as a global community.  

Or policymakers could breathe a sigh of relief, hope nothing like this happens again, and carry on much as before. 

Governments cannot make the same mistakes again. 

They must do better. 

And they must work together to strengthen global health systems to better prevent, prepare for and respond to the next pandemic.  

Read more: https://wellcome.org/news/how-prevent-another-major-pandemic

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