Pandemic Threat

Public health officials say the world is overdue for a pandemic that could kill 30 million people within a year. The possible causes include the expanding and mobile global population, mutating viruses that can outfox vaccine makers, the threat of bioterrorism and accelerating climate change that breeds new diseases. Meanwhile, in the wake of recent outbreaks of the Zika virus in Brazil, Ebola in Africa and a new strain of bird flu in China, many experts say the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies charged with protecting against dangerous pathogens are under-resourced and underfunded. But some experts are more optimistic, saying the global health community has taken important steps to prevent and respond to pandemics. For example, the United States has invested in crisis preparation, and WHO set up a global surveillance network and pandemic emergency fund, these experts note. But gaps in funding and leadership remain, and many warn that vaccines exist for just a fraction of the 300 known infectious viruses.