Bill Gates calls on the richest countries to invest massively to prepare for the next pandemic.

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Lenin Nolly / EFE / SIPA

The American philanthropist Bill Gates believes that the world must now prepare for the next pandemic as it would prepare for a war which must result in colossal investments each year, he underlines in a letter published on Wednesday.

“The world must spend billions to save trillions (and prevent millions of deaths).

I think it's the best, most profitable insurance policy the world can afford, ”writes Bill Gates.

According to him, "the bulk of the investment must come from the rich countries" because it is their governments which have the most to gain there.

This has been a year unlike any other in our lifetimes.

In our new Annual Letter, Melinda and I talk about how we can turn the hard-won lessons of the pandemic into a healthier, more equal future for all.

https://t.co/Zt42aWl86x

- Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 27, 2021

What would these billions of dollars be used for?

In addition to the scientific investments which should make it possible to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic and others to come (diagnostics, vaccines, treatments, etc.), Bill Gates also calls for the establishment of a "global alert system, of which we do not have large scale today ”in order to be able to detect epidemics as soon as possible.

The American, who is among the three richest men in the world according to the ranking of Forbes magazine, further advocates the creation of a rapid reaction force for infectious diseases.

"Pandemic firefighters" are said to be on permanent alert to respond to a potential health crisis.

Bill Gates estimates that around 3,000 of these professionals are needed around the world.

No longer be "caught off guard"

He wants the world to learn from the coronavirus pandemic.

“We cannot afford to be caught off guard again.

The threat of the next pandemic will always hang over our heads - unless the world takes action to prevent it.

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He recalls that "stopping the next pandemic will require spending tens of billions of dollars in investments each year" and the co-founder and former boss of Microsoft reveals that "the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic for the whole world is estimated at 28,000 billion dollars.

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Bill Gates is very committed to the promotion and financing of immunization, especially in developing countries through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which has already, according to him, invested $ 1.75 billion to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

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