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The next pandemic is just a plane ride away and the United States is not ready for it.
For instance, federal funds for fighting pandemics are at the lowest level since 2014. In particular, budgets for agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are being slashed.
Significantly, the White House security team responsible for preparing for the next pandemic was disbanded. Rear Admiral Timothy Ziemer, who is a National Security Council member in charge for pandemic planning, has left the administration. Consequently, no senior administration official is planning for the next pandemic, as the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation warns.
“Ziemer’s departure; along with the breakup of his team, comes when many experts say the country is already underprepared for the increasing risks of a pandemic or bioterrorism attack,” the Foundation claims. Ziemer left the White House on May 8, 2018, the same day authorities reported a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Congo.
Admiral Ziemer and his team were planning for pandemics like Ebola. In other words, nobody in Washington is planning for the next pandemic.
The Next Pandemic Is Coming And Yet America Isn’t Preparing For It
Unpreparedness will lead to catastrophe because the next pandemic is just a plane ride away. In fact, a deadly virus could be flying to your city today.
For instance, there are over 60 nonstop flights between China and the United States each day. Meanwhile, there have been five epidemics of deadly H7N9 flu in China since 2013. With this in mind, many experts think the next pandemic will start in China.
“It takes only one infected carrier of bird flu to escape screening or detection at a train station or airport to transform a local health crisis into a global pandemic,” Lisa Monaco writes at Foreign Policy. Notably, Monaco served as Homeland Security and Counterterrorism advisor to President Barack Obama (D-Illinois).
Additionally, Monaco estimates 30,000 people are flying between China and the United States each day. Avian flu is dangerous because 40% of the people infected with it in China die.
China scares Monaco because H7N9 is a strain of influenza. As an illustration, the Spanish Flu, another strain of influenza, killed nearly 50 million people worldwide in 1918.
Moreover, China is just one place where the next pandemic could start, as airlines serve every country in the world. For example, there are plenty of daily flights between the United States and Africa, which is where Ebola originated.
Therefore, potential carriers of Ebola and Avian flu are flying to America every day. Yet, nobody is apparently preparing for their arrival.
You Need To Prepare For The Next Pandemic
It is important to realize that our government is clearly not preparing for the next pandemic.
Because of this, you have to prepare to protect yourself and your family from a potentially widespread disease in the future. Obviously, studying pandemics and their history is the best means of bracing for them.
In general, relying upon the government for protection from a deadly epidemic is a good way to die faster. Bureaucrats can only seem to respond to crises but not anticipate them.
Consequently, you need to start preparing an isolated refuge from the next pandemic for your family. Stockpiling food and fortifying your home is the best way to survive the next pandemic.
