Contents
Bill Gates, the fourth richest man in the world, philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft has for many years warned against the outbreak of new epidemics. This was long before the SARS-CoV-2 virus began to cover an increasing part of our globe from the end of 2019. Recently, his book was published. «How to Avoid Another Pandemic». Has the billionaire found a recipe to eliminate epidemic threats?
- The billionaire already in 2015 warned during the TED conference that viruses, not war, pose the greatest risk of a “global catastrophe”
- On his website, he makes a diagnosis and advises what to do to prevent the pandemic from happening again. He also writes more about it in his latest book entitled “How to prevent another pandemic”
- He continues to warn that there is a danger that the coronavirus will create a more lethal and more transmissive variant
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Bill Gates’s new book
Bill Gates shares his thoughts not only in entries in social media, television or in newspapers, but also in his latest book, which is originally entitled “How to prevent the next pandemic”. He noted that when he sat down to write it, his goal was to “create a concrete list of actions that the world could take to prevent another pandemic.”
«We can and should learn a lot from COVID-19. But I knew I wanted to focus more on the future than on the past, ”he admitted.
He also added that over many decades, numerous experts had warned the world that another pandemic would happen, but the voice was ignored, and when COVID struck, fighting it became a global priority. In his opinion, governments must prepare for the next pathogen, but also strive to reduce the risk of another epidemic.
Three specific things you can do now
Bill Gates’ voice is important in the discussion of what needs to be done to make the coronavirus pandemic last. Is it possible at all? In his opinion, the world must now start working in three key areas.
Create and deliver better tools
First, as Gates wrote, in order to prevent a pandemic, you should constantly invest in modern vaccines, therapies and diagnostics. The best example of this is the work on mRNA vaccines, which did not start today, but continued long before the coronavirus pandemic started.
“It took almost two years to find effective treatments for the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” recalled Gates on gatesnotes.com.
In his opinion, the idea is to improve the ability to test and validate new products, as well as increase production capacity and create better ways of delivering vaccines, e.g. through microneedle patches. This technology is based on the fact that the 3D-printed microneedles are placed on a polymer patch and their length is sufficient to puncture the skin and deliver the preparation.
“We need to build systems that will allow us to do new treatments much faster in the future,” emphasized Gates.
However, it does not stop at these ideas. It urges us to create a catalog of antiviral drugs so that we can quickly refer to it in the event of a specific epidemic. He points out that artificial intelligence and computational methods can also be used. A computer can quickly scan a 3D model of the pathogen to find out which drugs may be effective for a specific disease.
“The computer will be able to show which drugs look promising and how to improve them, and if necessary, even design new ones from scratch,” explained Gates.
The billionaire also raises the issue of the production of generic drugs, i.e. substitutes for the original drug containing the same active ingredient. The idea is to create a cheap version of new drugs and to be able to procure them in advance on behalf of low and middle income countries.
In addition, in his opinion, innovations should also enter diagnostics. Scientists need to develop, and sponsors support, high-throughput PCR tests that have all the advantages of PCR, but are faster and cheaper. In parallel, rapid antigen tests should be improved in order to easily diagnose the disease at home and to be able to adjust the appropriate drugs in case of a positive test.
Improving disease monitoring
Another key area – which Bill Gates would like governments to focus on – is GERM (Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization). According to him, the global response team is one of the most important steps to stop another pandemic.
“Many low- and middle-income countries need stronger birth and death registers so that GERM can work with local organizations to more easily spot an atypical pattern worth investigating,” said Gates.
Strengthen health systems
It is also crucial – in his opinion – to rebuild the health protection of many countries most affected by the pandemic.
“The pandemic has wrecked health systems around the world, but the needs in low-income countries are especially great. The main challenge is that they don’t have the funds, expertise, or institutions they need to offer basic health services to all their citizens, let alone tackle a major epidemic, ”Gates wrote on his blog.
In the text, he also recalled the Gates Foundation, which he founded with his ex-wife Melinda. The main goal of the foundation is to help improve health systems, which the billionaire says are “investments that save lives”.
“All these efforts – new tools, better disease surveillance and improved health systems will not be cheap, but will save lives and money in the long run,” concluded Gates.