The Atlantic

How the World Can Prepare for the Next Pandemic

Global outbreaks like the 2014 episode of Ebola are a certainty in a connected world, which means public-health authorities have to think across borders too.
Source: Peter Nicholls / Reuters

If it feels like there have been more and more outbreaks of strange, viral diseases in recent years, it’s not just you. Like K-pop, Brexit, and the presidency of Donald Trump, the increased frequency of pandemics is one of the unforeseen results of globalization.

That’s why the 2014 Ebola episode was so much more lethal—more than 11,000 deaths, versus an old high of 280—than the next largest known outbreak.

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