The COVID-19 pandemic proved that the world is vulnerable to contagious diseases despite advancements in medicine and technology. These viruses move quickly from person to person, so a world population of 8 billion will have difficulty stopping the spread of any contagion no matter how we respond as a nation.
COVID-19 appears to be fading, but what if other viruses are waiting in the wings? It only takes one person to spread a disease thousands of miles each way. A second pandemic could be looming, so it’s best to understand what it could be and how to prepare.
What Could Cause the Next Pandemic?
COVID-19 is the most significant pandemic of our lifetimes. It’s a once-in-a-generation (or more) pandemic, like the Spanish flu. However, it’s not the only virus the population is susceptible to. These are among the biggest threats to humans.
Coronavirus
Many people refer to COVID-19 as the coronavirus — however, that term refers to a family of viruses. The coronavirus family includes COVID-19 and others you’ve seen in the past. For example, the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) emerged last decade and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) had an outbreak in the early 2000s.
Coronaviruses are dangerous because they’re relatively new to humans. Scientists didn’t take them seriously until SARS 20 years ago. Now, disease experts find that viruses easily mutate and are more common than previously thought. COVID-19 likely came from bats, typical hosts of coronaviruses. Bats compose about 20% of mammals, increasing the likelihood another pandemic will come from them.
