From the BBC:
The world is entering "a new phase" where big outbreaks of deadly diseases like Ebola are a "new normal", the World Health Organization has warned.
Previous Ebola outbreaks affected relatively small numbers of people. But the Democratic Republic of Congo is dealing with the second largest outbreak ever, just three years after the world's largest one ended.
The topic of epidemics is fascinating and terrifying in equal measure, go on...
Dr Josie Golding, the epidemics lead at the Wellcome Trust, said the world needed to get better at preparing for such outbreaks.
"With Ebola in West Africa, that was the mobility of people and porous borders - that is now the world we live in, that won't stop," she said.
Yup, more movement of people = more spread of diseases, until one day hopefully we'll all be immune to everything.
And drumroll, please...
Climate change could lead to more outbreaks like cholera in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai, she said. But she hoped diseases resulting from humanitarian crises would not be a new normal.
"Preparedness needs to be better, we can see movement of populations and climate change, a lot of this we can see coming, and we need more resources to plan and prepare."
Like most 'natural disasters', the cyclone/cholera episode was actually a failure in town/infrastructure planning. Cholera outbreaks were common in England until we got our mains water and sewage systems sorted out; Developed countries are regularly hit with typhoons- hurricanes-cyclones and they don't have cholera outbreaks.
Might As Well Get Them Some Hugo Boss Uniforms, Rowley...
12 minutes ago
3 comments:
"The world is entering a new phase.....". No it's not. Africa is enduring a continuing phase. Despite the billions in aid, medical, financial, and domestic, to this continent over the past decades, there is no getting away with the fact that it is populated by people who believe that raping a virgin will cure HIV. Inter tribal wars, reports of children receiving vaccinations having their vaccinated arms cut off by rival tribal guerrillas (whether they learnt that from the Viet Cong, or vice versa, I have no idea), government corruption in transferring funds for improvements in education and living conditions, are just some of the reasons diseases like Ebola are still prevalent. Of course, the caring governments of the day actively welcome these poor souls to their countries and then wonder why their medical resources are at breaking point. Has anyone worked out why there are no reported cases of Ebola or other infectious diseases in China or Russia?
As for climate change, just stop Emma Thompson from flying. It may lead to loss of work, but I'm sure she's willing to take one for the team and the good of the planet.
PS, en to all that.
"Despite the billions in aid, medical, financial, and domestic, to this continent over the past decades, there is no getting away with the fact that it is populated by people who believe that raping a virgin will cure HIV."
That's because, despite what the aid industry would have you believe, you can't transform a continent from the Middle Ages to the modern day in a hundred years. After all it took us in Europe five hundred years to make the same cultural journey.
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