Bill Gates' prediction for the 'next pandemic' resurfaces as hantavirus leaves three people dead
Topics: Health, World News, Bill Gates
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Health, World News, Bill Gates
Bill Gates made an unnerving prediction about the 'next pandemic' in a resurfaced interview, as the cruise ship outbreak of hantavirus has resulted in three deaths.
The Microsoft founder urged people to be more 'prepared' in an interview just last year, warning that Covid would not be the last pandemic we see as a society.
The resurfaced clip comes after an outbreak of hantavirus on a Dutch cruise ship which has left three dead, as five cases have now been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The cruise set sail from Argentina around a month ago, but is now headed for the Canary Islands, where it is expected to dock this weekend.
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The WHO has issued a statement claiming that it is expected it to be a 'limited outbreak', and contact tracing is now underway in several countries, for passengers who left the ship before the virus was detected.
In the reemerging interview, Gates, 70, warned that the next pandemic we face could likely be 'far more severe' than Covid.
Speaking on The View, the tech giant said: "We should be more prepared, it's up to the government to think ahead on behalf of the citizens.
"So with a pandemic, there's a lot you should be doing, but hopefully we'll get our act together before the next one comes."
However, Maria van Kerkhove, Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at WHO, said during a press conference: "I want to be unequivocal here.
"This is not the start of a Covid pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship."
She added that hantavirus spreads 'very differently'.
Hantaviruses are mainly spread by rodents, particularly through exposure to infected rodents' urine or faeces, as per Mayo Clinic.
The WHO states: "While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response."
The Mayo Clinic claims that as the virus worsens, it can lead to 'damaged lung tissues', which can present symptoms such as low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and an irregular heart rate.
The most common symptoms include a fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.
While only five cases of hantavirus have been confirmed, given the incubation period of the disease, which can be up to six weeks, we could see more cases.
The WHO also reported that investigations into the outbreak are 'still under way'.