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https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/we-have-basically-destroyed-what-capacity-we-had-to-respond-to-a-pandemic-says-leading-epidemiologist-michael-osterholm>
'COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 7 million people across the world,
to date, including over 1 million people in the U.S., according to the World
Health Organization. In addition to this staggering death toll, the disease has
unleashed a wave of chronic illness, and at the peak of the pandemic, it
triggered widespread disruptions in supply chains and health care services that
ultimately threatened or ended people's lives.
Since its emergence in 2019, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has had a
tremendous impact on society. And yet, the next pandemic could potentially be
even worse.
That's the argument of a new book by Michael Osterholm, founding director of
the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the
University of Minnesota, and award-winning author Mark Olshaker. The text
doesn't just serve as a warning. As suggested by its title — "The Big One: How
We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics" (Little Brown Spark, 2025) — the
book lays out lessons learned during past pandemics and points to actions that
could be taken to mitigate harm and save lives when the next infectious disease
outbreak tears across the globe.
Notably, the text was finalized before President Donald Trump began his second
term.
Since then, "we have basically destroyed what capacity we had to respond to a
pandemic," Osterholm told
Live Science. "The office that normally did this
work in the White House has been totally disbanded."
Live Science spoke with Osterholm about the new book, what we should expect
from the next pandemic and how we might prepare — both under ideal
circumstances and under the current realities facing the U.S.'
Via Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
