Tesco
Are We Prepared for the Looming Epidemic Threat?
Article

Are We Prepared for the Looming Epidemic Threat?

A dangerous virus, as yet unknown, has the potential to wipe out millions of us. Yet public health bodies are mired in complacency.

Jonathan Quick
The Guardian, 2018
Read the article

Read or listen offline

áudio gerado automaticamente
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×
áudio gerado automaticamente

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Eye Opening
  • Hot Topic

Recommendation

If you’re not losing sleep over the next pandemic, you likely haven’t heard of Harvard Medical School public health professor Jonathan Quick. In his compelling editorial, Quick details ways in which a swift-moving virus could kill millions of us in less than a year. The scenarios he paints are horrific, but Quick also provides sensible solutions to prevention, which could save millions of lives and billions of dollars. He cites the way the global AIDS/HIV prevention and treatment efforts slowed the progress of the disease and provides a roadmap for dealing with the next big public health threat.

Take-Aways

  • Computer modeling estimates that there is a greater than 50% chance of a worldwide pandemic.
  • With the rapidity of modern travel, infections can spread quickly, killing up to 33 million people in less than a year.
  • Fear, complacency and financial self-interest contribute to the spread of disease.

About the Author

Jonathan Quick is chair of the Global Health Council, author of The End of Epidemics, and professor at the Harvard Medical School.

Comment on this summary or Iniciar a Discussão