According to Gates, a concrete plan of action should be developed in the event that terrorists use biological weapons.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that the world should fear not only new pandemics, but also possible terrorist attacks using biological weapons. In his opinion, this could be even more dangerous than COVID-19.
He spoke about this in an interview with the British public organization Policy Exchange.
Gates said that in order to avoid new threats billions of dollars should be spent on biosafety research and the development of specific mechanisms to combat infectious diseases.
In addition, the American businessman called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a special working group to monitor the epidemiological situation, which, according to Gates, should help prepare for possible bioterrorist attacks. According to him, this group should create a plan of action in the event of such a threat and work out scenarios for eliminating the consequences of such attacks.
“The WHO Pandemic Working Group may need about a billion dollars a year. It will monitor the situation and conduct 'bacteriological exercises,' as I call them,” Bill Gates said in an interview with former British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Gant. who now chairs the British Parliamentary Health Committee
At the same time, according to Bill Gates, the huge costs of research to prevent future pandemics can bring other results to humanity, for example, will completely get rid of the flu.
“The good news is that the research and development needed to tackle the ensuing pandemic, such as cheapening vaccines, building large factories, eradicating influenza and colds, creating vaccines as a small sticker on the arm. when we don't have a pandemic, “says Bill Gates.
In addition, he said that in the next five years he plans to write a book “We are ready for the next pandemic.” However, this implies numerous research and development costs. The businessman is convinced that the use of biological weapons can bring more serious consequences than those that we are experiencing from the coronavirus.
“What if bioterrorists bring smallpox to ten airports? Do we know how the world can respond to this? There are epidemics that arise naturally, and there are those that cause bioterrorism. The latter may be worse than the one we are experiencing now, “the businessman emphasized.
It is important to note that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding various medical projects, including the development of vaccines against Covid-19. Earlier, the businessman invested billions of dollars to make vaccines against various diseases more affordable for poor countries.
The businessman and philanthropist predicted the emergence of important medical innovations back in 2015. So, a few years before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill Gates warned of the threat of new deadly flu epidemics and stressed that the world was not ready for them.
“I keep my fingers crossed so that a deadly epidemic like the flu doesn't happen in the next 10 years,” Gates told the BBC back in 2016.
And at TED in 2015, he stated that if something kills more than 10 million people over the next few decades, it will most likely be a very pathogenic virus, and not a war; not a rocket, but germs.
“One of the reasons for this is that we have invested a lot in nuclear deterrence, but have invested very little in epidemic prevention. ready, “Gates said at the time.
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