Pandemics and Preparations

Abstract

The history of humankind is replete with plagues [1, 2], but it is tempting to believe that we are now so advanced that lethal epidemics can be easily prevented and controlled. Can new plagues still emerge in this modern world? Without a doubt, the answer is “yes.” We must only consider AIDS to understand that the spread of HIV has been facilitated by many of the central characteristics of modern life. In reality, the extraordinary advances in modern civilization and medicine offer only partial protection against plagues, substituting control of some (e.g., smallpox) with the emergence of others (e.g., bioterrorism). Our means to control plagues are both ancient (taboos, quarantine, and isolation) and modern (vaccinations, mathematical modeling, and molecular epidemiology).