Bill Gates warns of a “possible” global pandemic within the next 25 years

Bill Gates has warned that another global pandemic is “likely” to happen within the next 25 years if a major war is avoided.

Speaking to a US news outlet, the Microsoft co-founder highlighted the current global turmoil and said: “If we avoid a major war… then, yes, there will be another pandemic.”

Gates, who has spoken about the world’s preparedness for pandemics, raised concerns about how well-equipped nations were for the COVID-19 outbreak.

In his 2022 book, How to prevent the next pandemicGates discussed the need for better quarantine protocols and greater investment in vaccine research.

Reflecting on the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates observed that the country has “fallen short of expectations” as the leader of the global effort to combat the virus.

While some progress has been made, with increased spending on pandemic preparedness in the US and elsewhere,

Gates says the global response is not yet enough. “Although some of the lessons from [the coronavirus] pandemic have learned, [it’s been] much less than I would have expected, unfortunately,” he says.

The political divisions that many believe have hampered the world’s response to COVID-19 continue to stand in the way of properly preparing for the next outbreak, Gates adds, “Gathering our thoughts on what [we did] Well, what we didn’t do well, still isn’t happening… Maybe, in the next five years, that will improve. But, so far, it’s pretty weird.”

Preventing widespread disease is the focus of an episode of the upcoming Netflix documentary What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates”, will premiere on September 18.

In an advance screening of the Netflix series provided to Make It, Gates sits down with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In this conversation, Fauci is adamant that wealthier nations like the US have a “moral responsibility” to share their abundant resources to take the lead in preventing the spread of disease around the world.

Despite the rapid development of vaccines, which has lasted less than 12 months, the world still faces serious challenges, including overcrowding in hospitals and shortages of medical supplies.

Experts continue to warn of the possibility of new diseases emerging, possibly from animal-to-human transmission. Recent concerns have arisen over Mpox and bird flu, with the World Health Organization declaring Mpox a public health emergency in 2022.