Study: Preventing pandemics MUCH cheaper than curing them

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Preventing pandemics is cheaper than 'curing' them, according to new research.

Effective strategies include better surveillance of pathogens, improved management of wildlife trade and hunting and reduced deforestation.

Common approaches are needed to forestall emerging infectious diseases.

The annual costs of these actions are around $20 billion - less than five and ten percent of the annual value of lives lost and the economic price, respectively.

Lead author Dr. Aaron Bernstein, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, said: "If COVID-19 taught us anything, it is that testing, treatments and vaccines can prevent deaths but they do not stop the spread of viruses across the globe and may never prevent the emergence of new pathogens.

"As we look to the future, we absolutely cannot rely on post-spillover strategies alone to protect us.

"Spending only five cents on the dollar can help prevent the next tsunami of lives lost to pandemics by taking cost-effective actions that stop the wave from ever emerging, instead of paying trillions to pick up the pieces."

The study in Science Advances marks the 2nd anniversary of the pandemic - and provides a blueprint to forestall others, he said.

Experts have warned "spillover" of diseases from animals into humans will become more common in the future.

Today, 3.3 million people are expected to die each year from viral zoonotic illnesses.

The estimated value of these lost lives is a minimum $350 billion - with an additional $212 billion in direct economic losses.

Figures are based on every new one that killed at least 10 people since 1918.

Stopping them at source is rarely addressed when policymakers and multilateral organizations discuss pandemic risks, said the researchers.

This is despite the fundamental role they play in spreading emerging infections.

They recommend revising the World Health Organisation's "phases of infectious disease emergence" to include a specific phase for spillover.

They further coin a new paradigm - "primary pandemic prevention" - to define actions that stamp out new diseases before they spread, rather than after they occur.

Co-author Prof Marcia Castro, also from the Harvard Chan School, said: "Resources placed into reducing deforestation are an investment to prevent future epidemics, but also to mitigate current threats, such as malaria and respiratory diseases associated with the burning of the forest.

"Making these investments in prevention brings returns to human health, to the environment, and to economic development."

The advised initiatives cut CO2 emissions, conserve water supplies, protect indigenous peoples' rights and conserve biodiversity.

They also combat other indirect damages such as psychological harms from lost jobs, lost relatives, social isolation, delayed medical treatments and education deficits.

The paper calls for the development of a global viral discovery project to focus on the best geographical targets.

The library can help quickly identify pathogens when they emerge and accelerate our ability to develop tests and vaccines rapidly and deploy them widely.

More well-trained veterinarians are needed, especially in spillover hotspots, to monitor for emerging diseases.

Budget and personnel for CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), the World Organisation for Animal Health, and national agencies watching animal importation should be increased.

This would fund research, monitoring and enforcement necessary to reduce risky trade.

Deforestation, particularly in the tropics, brings people into contact with animals as they enter forests to clear them for agriculture or timber, build roads, or work in mines.

Mitigating the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest is also a cornerstone.

Deforestation creates edges that facilitate contact between people and viral reservoir hosts.

Smaller forests are also important sources of emergent pathogens due to their proximity to densely populated settlements.

Tying conservation measures to investments in healthcare system strengthening can support communities living in and around forests.

The report adds agriculture must be reformed to minimize or reverse land conversion. Demand for less sustainable food must also be curtailed.