Sunday, May 22, 2022
News on Pathogens and Preparedness
Global Biodefense
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Global Biodefense
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured News

Calculating Expected Economic Losses from a Pandemic

by Global Biodefense Staff
February 1, 2018
Global Biosurveillance Networks

There is an unmet need for greater investment in preparedness against major epidemics and pandemics.

The worldwide spread of a serious infectious disease could result in pandemic-related deaths of 700,000 and annual economic losses of $500 billion, according to a study in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

Victoria Fan, an assistant professor in the Office of Public Health Studies in the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is lead author of “Pandemic risk: How large are the expected losses,” which applied a theoretical model to calculate the expected number of deaths and economic losses in rare pandemic scenarios.

The projection of total pandemic-related costs of $500 billion in U.S. dollars, or 0.6 percent of global income, falls within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s estimates of the costs of global warming. This implies that the losses from pandemic risk would be similar in magnitude to those of climate change.

The study was based on Fan’s work using impact and economic evaluations. The dollar figure of economic losses is much higher than those found in previous studies, which, according to the study, means “there is an unmet need for greater investment in preparedness against major epidemics and pandemics.”

The model may also be applied to other outbreaks, such as malaria, or catastrophic events, including nuclear attack. “Policymakers may be able to estimate the economic losses that come with rare but potentially devastating events,” said Fan. “We hope this can lead to more appropriate adjustments for national policies and investments, and international collaborations on pandemic preparedness.”

Article courtesy of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the World Health Organization. Adapted by Global Biodefense.

Tags: Modeling-SimulationPandemic

Related Posts

Hospitals Resilience to Extreme Events: One-Third of Staff May Be Lost During a Disaster
Preparedness

Hospitals Resilience to Extreme Events: One-Third of Staff May Be Lost During a Disaster

May 6, 2022
Send in the Blow Flies: Using Insects to Sample Areas for Chemical Warfare Agents
CBRNE

Send in the Blow Flies: Using Insects to Sample Areas for Chemical Warfare Agents

April 11, 2022
Johns Hopkins: Chemical in Leafy Greens May Slow Growth of Coronaviruses
Pathogens

Johns Hopkins: Chemical in Leafy Greens May Slow Growth of Coronaviruses

April 11, 2022
Radiation Countermeasures: Q-3-R Alleviates Radiation-Induced Lung Inflammation and Fibrosis
CBRNE

Radiation Countermeasures: Q-3-R Alleviates Radiation-Induced Lung Inflammation and Fibrosis

February 27, 2022
Load More

Latest News

NIH to Further Invest in Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network

NIH to Further Invest in Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network

May 10, 2022

How a COVID-19 Infection Spurs Antibodies Against Common Colds

May 8, 2022
Hospitals Resilience to Extreme Events: One-Third of Staff May Be Lost During a Disaster

Hospitals Resilience to Extreme Events: One-Third of Staff May Be Lost During a Disaster

May 6, 2022
Where is Testing Needed Most During Pandemic Surges? WVU Researchers Develop Machine Learning Prediction Tools

Where is Testing Needed Most During Pandemic Surges? WVU Researchers Develop Machine Learning Prediction Tools

May 6, 2022

Subscribe

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC