{"id":529324,"date":"2022-12-19T22:07:21","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T19:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/my-prediction-were-due-for-another-global-health-emergency\/"},"modified":"2022-12-19T22:07:21","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T19:07:21","slug":"my-prediction-were-due-for-another-global-health-emergency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/my-prediction-were-due-for-another-global-health-emergency\/","title":{"rendered":"#My Prediction: We\u2019re due for another global health emergency"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e8f0445fe\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e8f0445fe\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/my-prediction-were-due-for-another-global-health-emergency\/#%E2%80%9CMy_Prediction_Were_due_for_another_global_health_emergency%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;My Prediction: We\u2019re due for another global health emergency&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CMy_Prediction_Were_due_for_another_global_health_emergency%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;My Prediction: We\u2019re due for another global health emergency&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n                            COVID wasn&#8217;t the last large-scale outbreak. The next one is right around the corner.\n                        <\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"p3\"><i> Kamran Khan is the founder and CEO of BlueDot.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In the last two decades, the world has experienced an alarming number of destructive outbreaks: SARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika and, of course, COVID-19. And although COVID is here to stay, it won\u2019t always cause the level of disruption we\u2019ve experienced to this point. Still, if the recent past is a predictor of the future, we\u2019re due for another major outbreak in 2023 or 2024, one that <i>could<\/i> cause substantial disruption\u2014to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> interaction, the economy and our very way of life. If we look at the last 13 years alone, we\u2019ve had seven global public health emergencies, as defined by the World Health Organization. This cadence, of one event every two years, has been fairly consistent, but it <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears to be accelerating.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">More than half of the world\u2019s population now lives in cities, which are perfect places for viruses to spread. At the same time, we have never been more mobile. Billions of people travel around the planet every year. Humans <\/span>have inadvertently become vectors<span class=\"s1\"> for dangerous microbes, and it\u2019s happening at unprecedented speed. These new diseases are primarily zoonotic, meaning that they originate in animals. They transfer to humans because we mass-consume other creatures and disrupt ecosystems. <\/span>You may remember that a market<span class=\"s1\"> in Wuhan, China, was ground zero for the COVID pandemic. Another example is the Nipah virus, a bat-borne disease that was first documented in domesticated pigs. Numerous Nipah outbreaks have occurred in humans around Asia in the last few years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">I\u2019m an infectious disease physician. I also run a company called BlueDot that tracks and forecasts outbreaks using analytics. According to our data, Canadians are the third-most internationally mobile population on Earth in terms of air travel per capita. Canada defines itself as a diverse microcosm of the world. That\u2019s a huge strength, but it also means that we\u2019re hyperconnected to global health risks. We share a long and porous land border with the United States, the world\u2019s largest source of international air travel. If a virus is going to appear anywhere, it\u2019ll likely be here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Climate change also leaves us more vulnerable to outbreaks. Disease-causing insects, like ticks and mosquitoes, are living in new areas. Climate maps of the world are changing, and so are infectious disease maps. Dangerous microbes also thrive in populations with a lack of housing and sanitation. The disparity between the world\u2019s haves and have-nots is widening\u2014not only between countries, but within them. This played out during COVID, as variants emerged in populations with limited access to vaccines.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">If many factors are driving this problem, that means there are many ways to tackle it. In the world of health care, we often talk about primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention is about preventing the emergence of new diseases. On the individual level, one solution is to reduce our collective consumption of animals. At a higher level, it\u2019s about respecting wildlife and mitigating our impact on ecosystems. If we don\u2019t, we\u2019ll see even more spillover of viruses to humans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Secondary prevention is about early detection. That\u2019s what BlueDot does: we identify signs of outbreaks even before they\u2019re widely reported, with the help of innovations like machine learning and data analytics. Businesses can be an incredible force for good in this arena by protecting the safety of their workers. I\u2019d also like to see more health care providers tap into the analytics that companies like ours produce. There\u2019s no clinician on Earth who can continuously monitor what\u2019s happening around the globe. That\u2019s where data comes in.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Tertiary prevention is about attenuating an outbreak\u2019s impact, which can be accomplished by clearly communicating complex biomedical information to the public. More than ever, Canadians need to understand what kinds of actions are appropriate, depending on how viruses are (or aren\u2019t) at play in their particular locations. Ultimately, if we want to create a more resilient world, we need to get faster, smarter and better coordinated. If there\u2019s anything that can move faster than an outbreak, it\u2019s our ability to spread knowledge through the internet.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">We have to be able to detect the early signs of danger, understand the risks and mobilize responses that are commensurate with the situation at hand. To mitigate the effects of the next outbreak, we, as individuals, businesses and governments, need to invest in and focus on prevention. If we don\u2019t, we may find ourselves back in the middle of an outbreak, and much sooner than we ever imagined.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014<em>As Told To Liza Agrba<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">This story is part of our annual \u201cYear Ahead\u201d package. Read the rest of our predictions for 2023 here.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>This article appears in print in the December 2022 issue of<\/em> Maclean\u2019s <em>magazine. Buy the issue for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/canadianmags.ca\/collections\/macleans-single-issues\">$9.99<\/a> or better yet, subscribe to the monthly print magazine for just\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/canadianmags.ca\/collections\/macleans-single-issues\">$39.99<\/a><\/em>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1242158 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cover_January_DRE-e1669907996601.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"666\" height=\"909\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/year-ahead\/health-covid-emergency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;My Prediction: We\u2019re due for another global health emergency&#8221; COVID wasn&#8217;t the last large-scale outbreak. The next one is right around the corner. Kamran Khan is the founder and CEO of BlueDot.\u00a0 In the last two decades, the world has experienced an alarming number of destructive outbreaks: SARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika and, of course, COVID-19&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":529325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/YA_THINKER_KamranKhan-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[60456,5047,72838,136847],"class_list":["post-529324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-covid","tag-health","tag-outbreak","tag-year-ahead-2023"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}