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. Ebola no longer ‘incurable’ after discovery of two highly effective treatments, scientists say The report encouraged the creation of systems that would effectively detect and control disease outbreaks, in a proactive move that would create global preparedness. It warned epidemic-prone diseases such as Ebola, influenza and Sars are increasingly difficult to manage in the face of increasing conflict, fragile states and rising migration. The climate crisis, urbanisation and a lack of adequate sanitation and water are breeding grounds for fast-spreading, catastrophic outbreaks. “For too long, world leaders’ approaches to health emergencies have been characterised by a cycle of panic and neglect,” said Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway and co-chair of the board alongside WHO director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Elhadj As Sy, the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “It is high time for urgent and sustained action. This must include increased funding at the community, national and international levels to prevent the spread of outbreaks. It also requires leaders to take proactive steps to strengthen preparedness coordination mechanisms across governments and society to respond quickly to an emergency.” Explosion and fire at Soviet-era biological weapons facility holding smallpox and Ebola ‘no threat’, says Russia Seven preventive actions were urged by the report, including: commitment and investing from heads of government; regional organisations leading by example; strong systems of preparedness in each countries; increased funding and financial incentives; and strengthened coordination systems from the United Nations. While countries without basic health services and infrastructures are at risk for the greatest losses from a pandemic, all countries are vulnerable, the report said. In the case that a global pandemic equivalent to the 1918 influenza pandemic – commonly known as the “Spanish flu” – occurred today, it would cost the around US$3 trillion, or nearly 5 per cent of the gross domestic product, according to the World Bank’s estimates. “If a similar contagion occurred today with a population four times larger and travel times anywhere in the world less than 36 hours, 50-80 million people could perish. In addition to tragic levels of mortality, such a pandemic could cause panic, destabilise national security and seriously impact the global economy and trade,” the report said. Although advancements in science and technology have allowed for public health advancements, they also pose the potential for a microorganism to be engineered or recreated in labs – which could pose an outbreak if deliberately released, the report said, pushing for worldwide preparedness. “The world is at risk. But, collectively, we already have the tools to save ourselves and our economies. What we need is leadership and the willingness to act forcefully and effectively,” the report said. Additional reporting by The Guardian