5 Sep 2021

The next major pandemic will hit by 2080 at the latest

From Sunday Morning, 8:13 am on 5 September 2021

A global pandemic comparable to the Covid-19 crisis we are currently enduring is likely to strike by 2080 -- but probably far sooner, according to newly published analysis.

The study (Intensity and frequency of extreme novel epidemics) looked at the scale and frequency of disease outbreaks dating back to 1600, uncovering patterns that suggest the next pandemic will occur within the next 59 years -- which means anyone under the age of about 24 will probably have to live through another massive health disaster in their lifetime.

Study co-author William Pan from Duke University explains. 

School-age children in medical masks. portrait of school children

Photo: 123RF