Bill Gates says, 'The world needs to think about the next pandemic.'

by On Innovation

The pandemic of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) that occurred in 2020 reaffirms the foresight of Bill Gates , who gave a speech warning of the global epidemic of the plague in 2015. It was. Gates explains that it is important to 'think about the next pandemic' in order for the world to recover from the pandemic and prepare for the next crisis.

It's not too soon to start thinking about the next pandemic
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-too-soon-start-thinking-next-pandemic-bill-gates/

In a blog post posted on January 27, 2021, Gates said, 'The most frequently asked question is,'When will the world return before the COVID-19 outbreak?' Of course, who, including myself? We hope that Momo will return to a normal world, but there are also things that we want you to never do. That is our complacency for the pandemic. '

Gates points out that COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last pandemic, and no one can predict when the world will be hit by an unknown infectious disease. On top of that, he said that if we take constant measures against infectious diseases without pride, we can avoid the tragedy like this pandemic.

Economically rich developed countries are expected to take the lead in combating these infectious diseases. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the cost the world pays for COVID-19 is estimated to be $ 28 trillion (about 3,000 trillion yen). On the other hand, Gates points out that measures to prevent a pandemic can be done for billions of dollars (hundreds of billions of yen). 'I think this is the most cost-effective insurance policy the world can sign,' he said.

On top of that, Gates pointed out two important points to prevent the next pandemic: 'scientific tools' and 'medical system'. Gates' 'scientific tool' is a method for testing and diagnosing infectious diseases, and medicines and treatment technologies for preventing or treating the infectious diseases found by the method. In the United States, it took months to establish the COVID-19 test, but Gates set out to build a 'mega-diagnostic platform' that could test 20% of the world's population each week in preparation for the next pandemic. It is said that there is.

Infectious disease control requires prevention and treatment as well as diagnosis. 'We at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have invested in monoclonal antibody research for over a decade, which is a cure for influenza and malaria, but there are many others. It can be applied as a treatment for various diseases. In addition, the success of the mRNA vaccine is expected to dramatically improve the ability to develop new vaccines to prevent infectious diseases within the next five years. ' Is shown.

However, the mere existence of 'scientific tools' cannot be used to protect people from infectious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to build a second 'medical system'. 'We need 3,000 first responders in the world who are fully trained and ready to respond to potential crises, just like firefighters who arrive early at the fire scene,' Gates said. He emphasized the importance of building an initial response system.

As Gates points out, Taiwan, which has suffered from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) , and South Korea, which has experienced an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) , should respond quickly to COVID-19. Is done. From these cases, Gates said, 'Just as the military conducts desk exercises in preparation for combat, it requires continuous training and improvement in how to respond to epidemics.'

At the end, Gates said, 'After all, what I'm most optimistic about is that I'm ready for the next. The suffering I've had over the past year will be for generations to come. It will burn into people's thoughts. I look forward to a wide range of support for efforts to ensure that we never experience these hardships again. ' did.