Search results for: daszak

On February 12, 2006 the phrase "social distancing" was first coined in a New York times article: If the avian flu goes pandemic while Tamiflu and vaccines are still in short supply, experts say, the only protection most Americans will have is "social distancing," which is the new politically correct way of saying "quarantine." But distancing also encompasses less drastic measures, like wearing face masks, staying out of elevators -- and the [elbow] bump. The "highly contagious" (spreads easily) H5N1 avian flu of 2005-06, went away "without the imposition of totalitarian controls that the U.S. president sought at the time."   The Bush government produced a national strategy pandemic report in November 2005, the proposed "plans were never deployed. At the time, not many people took the thing that seriously. There were tests and a vaccine available, though not widely used. In 2005, 98 people died globally, and another 115 the following year." [1]

On November 21, 2003 the University of Queensland launched the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre (AB-CRC) for Emerging Infectious Disease following the award of a 7-year federal government grant of $60 million to a consortium. It consisted of 3 universities, 8 federal and state government agencies, 5 industry groups and 3 international organisations (Bangkok, New York and Winnipeg). [1, 2, 3, 4] The intent is for the partners to combine their resources and expertise using the latest diagnostic, computer and satellite technologies to develop specialised early warning systems for the rapid detection and response to disease outbreaks. The spread of new infectious diseases into Australia, through the movement of people and animals, viruses jumping from animals to humans, or even bioterrorism, is an increasing risk according to Dr Stephen Prowse the CEO “The global SARS epidemic is a perfect example of the far-reaching impacts of newly emerging diseases” Dr Prowse said. Experts in  AB-CRC, including Dr Hume Field and Professor John Mackenzie who were involved in the global response to the SARS outbreak, under the auspices of the World Health Organization. [3] Prof Mackenzie was on the WHO Emergency Committee in 2020, and both were authors on The Lancet statement..> READ MORE

At a annual WHO R&D Blueprint meeting held February 6-7, 2018, "a group of experts" which Peter Daszak belongs to coined the term “Disease X”. They were "referring to the next pandemic, which would be caused by an unknown, novel pathogen that hadn’t yet entered the human population." and of which there was an "absence of efficacious drugs and/or vaccines". [1] The objective of the blueprint and meeting was "to reduce the time between declaration of a public health emergency and the availability of effective diagnostic tests, vaccines, antivirals and other treatments that can save lives and avert a public health crisis" Disease X would likely: Result from a virus originating in animals and would emerge somewhere on the planet where economic development drives people and wildlife together. Be confused with other diseases early in the outbreak and would spread quickly and silently; exploiting networks of human travel and trade, it would reach multiple countries and thwart containment. Have a mortality rate higher than a seasonal flu but would spread as easily as the flu. It would shake financial markets even before it achieved pandemic status. On October 15, 2019, "CEPI launches new call for innovative platform technologies to rapidly..> READ MORE