Preventing a pandemic is 500 times cheaper than responding to one

According to a recent analysis, responding to a pandemic is 500 times more expensive than taking preventive measures. The new policy brief appears in the journal Science. The authors call for a worldwide shift toward preventive action.

They also identify factors associated with the risk of future pandemics, such as deforestation, so-called wet markets, and the global trade in wild animals.

Co-author Prof. Les Kaufman, from Boston University in Massachusetts, explains:

“There are many people who might object to the United States fronting money, but it’s in our own best interest. Nothing seems more prudent than to give ourselves time to deal with this pandemic before the next one comes.”

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