April 3, 2020: The novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm. Countries around the globe have put their citizens on lockdown in an unprecedented attempt to slow the spread of a flu virus (called SARS-CoV-2). The potential economic ramifications of taking such extreme measures remain to be seen, but ultimately may be …
Event 201 October 18, 2019: The Bill Gates Foundation sponsors “Event 201” – a simulated exercise of a global coronavirus pandemic. In this fictional simulation, an outbreak of a novel zoonotic coronavirus transmitted from bats to people eventually becomes efficiently transmissible from person to person, leading to a severe pandemic. The disease starts quietly and slowly …
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared “vaccine hesitancy” one of the top 10 health threats of 2019.[1] In the same year, the United States has seen their largest measles outbreak of the 21st century. Vaccines are widely considered to be one of the greatest success stories in public health.[2] And yet, public confidence in the safety and …