Nipah virus: Will it cause the next pandemic and can it be prevented?
Zee News
A recent outbreak of the Nipah virus in India has raised the question of whether we should start to consider it as a future threat and look to build up our arsenal of defences now.
LONDON: The severe and devastating consequences of the coronavirus pandemic were undoubtedly made worse by a substantial lack of pandemic preparedness, with the exception of East and South East Asia, which had built up defences after their experience with SARS in 2003. So it is crucial that governments begin to develop strategies to protect us if other deadly viruses emerge.
A recent outbreak of the Nipah virus in India has raised the question of whether we should start to consider it as a future threat and look to build up our arsenal of defences now.
The rapid development of vaccines against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has provided a pathway out of this pandemic. So, if vaccines for other potentially dangerous viruses could be developed and stockpiled, they could be rolled out as soon as any new outbreak is detected. We would then be ahead of the curve and a pandemic could be avoided.
