World unprepared for pandemic that could kill ‘80 million in 36 hours’, WHO warns
- Prominent international experts warn that all countries were vulnerable
The world is unprepared for a global pandemic that could wipe out 80 million people in less than 36 hours along with 5 per cent of the global GDP, a new report from the World Health Organisation says.
A rapidly spreading respiratory pathogen could pose a threat to a large portion of the global population, potentially devastating millions of people across the globe – and the entire planet could be affected, the WHO’s first Global Preparedness Monitoring Board report released this week said.
“If it is true to say ‘what’s past is prologue’, then there is a very real threat of a rapidly moving, highly lethal pandemic of a respiratory pathogen killing 50 (million) to 80 million people and wiping out nearly 5 per cent of the world’s economy,” the report said.
“A global pandemic on that scale would be catastrophic, creating widespread havoc, instability and insecurity. The world is not prepared,” the report said.
The report encouraged the creation of systems that would effectively detect and control disease outbreaks, in a proactive move that would create global preparedness.