More than 500,000 dead. A sad commentary on our ability to take charge of this pandemic.  Meaning it’s time- right now (or maybe we’re already too late to start) – to start preparing for the next one.

But, first, a little history.

Way back in 2005, six senators proposed a law. Harry Reid, Evan Bayh, Dick Durbin, Ted Kennedy, Barrack Obama, and Tom Harkin proposed the Pandemic Preparedness and Response Act (PPRA).

Had that passed, it would have disallowed TheDonald from abrogating his responsibility in dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.  Instead, he disbanded the pandemic planning that President Obama had put in place during his (the previous) administration. (President Obama conceived of a system that could coordinate the complex governmental response to a “high consequence” emerging disease threat anywhere in the world.)

That’s the problem with executive actions.  They can disappear in a moment’s notice.  It’s why laws and regulations are the proper way to govern.

But, until we pass a modern version of the PPRA, that’s probably the way things will be. (Especially when a program will cost at least $ 600 million over 8 to 10 year’s time.)  Sure, Joe Biden is goading the CDC to create an effective current, national strategy.  Because a 50 state, 1300+ community plan simply doesn’t work in a pandemic.  As we see with this botched vaccine rollout and face mask initiative.

So, we must now plan for the next pandemic.  One that will present itself this year or next.  Unless we are lucky and we have a few years of respite.  (I’m not banking on that- are you?)

It IS going to cost money- and it’s not going to be easy.

But, we have no means to eliminate all the emerging diseases in the world.  We are too connected- with international air travel and our connectedness with animal biota.  Since 2000, we’ve suffered through SARS, H1N1, MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19. Five terrible world-wide diseases in 20 years.  But, the real problem is that we wait until they are epidemics- or even pandemics- before we consider mounting a response.  That’s truly unacceptable.  We should be tracking these events- so they can’t create havoc, they can’t decimate our economy- or as we have seen this past year, the world’s.

As we speak, the Biden administration is preparing an epidemic forecasting system.  Kind of like our weather forecasting programs, but this time, it’s going to watch and warn us about diseases.  (The cost for this is about $ 100 million.)

And, maybe we could also join in with a bunch of other nations and catalog the roughly 1.7 million mammalian viruses out in the world (in our wild animal populations), so we’d know what they are- and  what their chances of jumping to humans might be- and from which parts of the world those jumps are most likely.

Yes, this is not a cheap idea.  We’re probably talking about $ 1 billion over three years or so.  But, between France, Germany, Japan, China, England, the US, Israel- and the rest of the world, it’s a doable proposition.

You notice I didn’t suggest that the World Health Organization (WHO) coordinate this.  I recall way back when there was a drive to develop world-wide standards for water reuse how (despite the size of the panels) only two or three folks actually did all the work.  Everyone wanted credit- they just didn’t have “enough time” – to do the work.

But, the WHO also has political problems.  Like stomping on a nation that won’t open its books.  Or will allow a delay in letting the scientists check out where the epidemic began.

For the world-wide system to function- it must be transparent.  That means wherever the first episode of the disease is – that country has to alert the world.  We can’t let it wonder what will happen to its tourism industry, what will happen to the reputation of the leader (could you imaging what would have happened if the US  was the epicenter when TheDonald was President????), etc.

We’ll continue this tomorrow…

 

 

Oh.  By the way.  (Yes, that’s the way we,  as a nation seem to be addressing this.)   Today is George Washington’s Birthday.  The first national leader of our nation.  Salutes and kudos.