Virologist warned about the inevitability of a new pandemic

Virologist who discovered SARS: a new pandemic is inevitable. Expert warns of growing threat of respiratory viruses

The world is on the brink of a new pandemic, and it's only a matter of time. This alarming statement was made by renowned virologist Malik Peiris, the discoverer of the SARS virus, in an interview with the South China Morning Post. The scientist particularly emphasized the danger of respiratory viruses due to their lightning-fast spread among the population.

"COVID-19 clearly showed that pandemics are devastating not only for health but also for the economy [...] Without collaborative work between experts in human health, animal health, and ecology, it's impossible to protect people."

Peiris drew attention to troubling statistics: over the past two decades, humanity has encountered new pathogens (SARS, swine flu, Ebola, Mpox) every 3-4 years. The catalysts for this process are industrial animal husbandry, mass international tourism, and exotic animal trade. As vivid examples, the virologist cited the monkeypox outbreak in 2003 caused by imported animals, and the emergence of the Delta strain in Hong Kong in 2022 from imported hamsters. Although most viruses do not reach the scale of a global pandemic, the risks continue to steadily increase, warns the scientist, insisting on the need to implement a "one health" approach.