As the whole world hops on jets, trains or ocean liners -- no outbreak will remain local and isolated for very long. . . not without real, thoughtful (and yes, sort of expensive) advance preparation methods, well-vetted and at the ready. That is her central object lesson -- and she well-knows. Do go read it all:
. . .These outbreaks are biologically different, geographically distant, and epidemiologically unrelated. But together they reveal something deeply important about the current state of global health: Outbreaks are becoming more frequent, more complex, and increasingly difficult to contain in a world that is less prepared than it should be.
For years, experts warned that Covid-19 would not be the last major infectious disease crisis of our lifetimes. Yet only a few years later, the world appears to be moving in the opposite direction of preparedness. Public health funding is under strain. Trust in health institutions has eroded. Global coordination mechanisms are increasingly challenged by geopolitical tensions. In some countries, scientific expertise itself has become politicized. . . .
[The author, Dr.] Krutika Kuppalli is an infectious diseases physician in Dallas. Her work focuses on emerging infectious diseases, outbreak response, vaccine policy, and clinical care of complex infections. She has extensive experience with Covid-19, mpox, and Ebola, including working for the World Health Organization. . . .
Kennedy and his ilk will be remembered most, when history of this time is written -- as a procurer /enabler of hundreds of thousands of excess- and completely- preventible. . . deaths. Deplorable.
नमस्ते
