Bill Gates: The next outbreak? We’re not ready | TED

SURVEILLANCE & DATA (1m51s)

• Lack of ready epidemiologists to analyze diseases and their spread
• Case reporting was delayed and inaccurate due to reliance on paper
• Absence of a medical response team

PERSONNEL & TREATMENT (2m8s) (2m25s)

• Insufficient preparation for personnel deployment
• Médecins Sans Frontières effectively managed volunteers, but response was slow
• No one evaluated treatment methods or diagnostics
• Potential treatments, like using survivors' blood for plasma transfusion, weren't explored
• Failures are due to a lack of global preparedness and WHO's limited mandate

LAURENCE FISHBURNE CONTAGION & MODEL EBOLA (3m10s) (3m32s)

• Hollywood depictions of epidemic responses are misleading
• Ebola outbreak's containment was due to health workers' efforts, the virus's non-airborne transmission, and luck with urban avoidance
• Future viruses could spread more easily and be more devastating
• Airborne viruses, bioterrorism could pose greater risks

MODEL 1918 FLU (4m41s)

• A virus like the 1918 Spanish Flu would spread rapidly and could kill over 30 million
• We have the technological capability to build an efficient response system
• Tools for rapid pathogen analysis and vaccine development exist, but require a global health system and preparedness

STRENGTHEN HEALTH SYSTEMS & CREATE A MEDICAL CORPS (6m16s) (6m31s)

• Building robust health systems in poor countries is crucial for early outbreak detection
• Establishment of a medical reserve corps is necessary for readiness

PAIR MEDICAL & MILITARY & RUN GERM GAMES (6m43s) (6m49s)

• Medical resources should be coordinated with military capabilities for rapid response
• Conducting germ games will identify systemic weaknesses
• The last U.S. germ game in 2001 showed significant shortcomings in preparedness

R&D [End]

• Advancement in vaccine and diagnostic research and development is essential for epidemic preparedness