By Oluyemi Israel
A leading infectious-disease specialist warned that another global outbreak could arrive far sooner than anyone expected. He made the warning this week during a session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at UN Headquarters in New York City.
Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar, a professor of infectious diseases at University College London, told delegates that it was not a question of if but when the next pandemic would hit. ECOSOC Vice President Lok Bahadur Thapa stressed that deeper international cooperation was vital.
Dr. Abubakar explained that most countries’ health systems still operated in isolation and that a fast-moving virus could not be stopped by a single nation. He warned that infectious diseases respected no borders and that once a new pathogen spread internationally, containment would become nearly impossible.
To head off the next crisis, he urged all nations to ratify a new pandemic-prevention treaty, build flexible health systems ensuring fair care for everyone, and invest continuously in strong partnerships across borders. Thapa added that such teamwork was key to reaching the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which faced an annual funding gap of more than four trillion dollars.