Virologist warned about the inevitability of a new pandemic

A new pandemic is inevitable. This is reported by the South China Morning Post, citing an interview with virologist Malik Peiris, who discovered the SARS virus in 2003.

According to the scientist, respiratory viruses pose the greatest threat due to their speed of transmission. Over the past 20 years, new pathogens (SARS, swine flu, Ebola, Mpox) have emerged every 3-4 years, facilitated by intensive animal husbandry, global tourism, and exotic animal trade.

"COVID-19 clearly showed that pandemics are destructive 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 emphasized the necessity of a "one health" approach. He provided examples: the monkeypox outbreak (2003) due to imported animals, the Delta strain in Hong Kong (2022) from imported hamsters. The virologist also noted that most viruses don't reach pandemic scale, but risks are increasing.