| Unprepared for a Pandemic
Osterholm, Michael T.
Foreign Affairs, March-April 2007, v86, #2, pp47-57
Influenza pandemics are recurring natural disasters. A pandemic could occur at any time -- at a staggering cost to human health and the world economy. Many public health scientists believe that recent outbreaks of the H5N1 influenza virus in birds in Asia, Europe, and Africa, with occasional infections in humans, are precursors to the next pandemic. The H5N1 strain of the influenza virus has had a limited impact on human health so far, but a human influenza pandemic could occur if a current strain underwent the right genetic changes. The issue, however, has generated only limited attention in both the public and the private sectors worldwide. Preparing for a pandemic is a daunting challenge, especially, maintains the author because disaster has not yet struck. He maintains that this is no excuse for inaction. Michael T. Osterholm is Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, a Professor in the School of Public Health, and an Adjunct Professor in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota.
Go to the article
Request Password
H6/03-07 Posted May 03/07
|
