The world is not prepared for the next pandemic. Here’s why

Unfair: There have been instances when virus samples shared by a host country led to the development of vaccines that were subsequently sold back to the host country at high prices. — 123rf

IN the wake of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, it is deeply troubling that negotiations for a new international Pandemic Agreement recently concluded without consensus among World Health Organisation (WHO) member states.

We should all view this with the gravest concern, especially as several human cases of avian influenza infection, or bird flu, have been reported around the world – in Australia, the United States and Mexico – in the past three months alone.