Bill Gates on Saturday issued a warning at the Munich Security Conference that a terrorist organization could one day deploy a synthetic version of the smallpox virus or influenza and kill millions, according to The Guardian.
The MSC is a global forum for the discussion of security policy and future security challenges. Every February for the past 50 years, the event brings together more than 450 prominent heads-of-state, ministers, organizational and industry leaders, as well as representatives from the media, academia and civil society.
"Whether it occurs by a quirk of nature or at the hand of a terrorist, epidemiologists say a fast-moving airborne pathogen could kill more than 30 million people in less than a year," said Mr. Gates, according to The Guardian. "And they say there is a reasonable probability the world will experience such an outbreak in the next 10 to 15 years."
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The billionaire, who co-founded Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, went on to contextualize such a possibility by citing the historic influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed between 50 and 100 million people. Mr. Gates added that investing in biotechnology, new vaccines and drugs could not only help protect the planet from a naturally occurring pandemic, but a manmade one as well.
"Getting ready for a global pandemic is every bit as important as nuclear deterrence and avoiding a climate catastrophe. Innovation, cooperation and careful planning can dramatically mitigate the risks presented by each of these threats," said Mr. Gates, according to The Guardian.
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