Back to the Future

Man is a frustratingly resilient creature. Determined to survive, man endured

through the centuries despite nature’s desperate efforts to cause his
extinction. Pandemics are not new to mankind. Small pox, Cholera, Measles,
Ebola, Covid-19, all visited mankind at various times in history causing
extensive damage and death. Although man managed to endure, these
pandemics struck heavy blows to various aspects of the man’s existence.
Some of these blows, were extremely brutal and recovery was slow and
painful.

Its 2030 and we are privileged to breathe in the era of staggering

technological innovation. It would have been nearly impossible to predict
what this year would look like a few years back. This is because the pace of
technological change in the 21st century is unnervingly unprecedented.
However, the world is a radically better place now despite the challenges
that associated the development. This is arguably the best time to be alive,
however, thanks to technology, there are predictions that Man’s worst visitor
might be arriving in a few years causing its usual massive destruction and
crippling the systems mankind has struggled to build.

This next visitor is predicted to be influenza, a respiratory disease caused by

a new form of flu virus which would easily spread as a result of lack of
immunity for the novel virus. A similar event occurred ten years ago with the
novel coronavirus which caused the near dissolution of organization
worldwide. The world may be facing a sister pandemic in few years in form of
the flu virus. Using the covid-19 pandemic as a spectacle, mankind is
fortunate to plan and prepare effectively to ensure that the devastation
caused by similar pandemics does not reoccur.

The historic Coronavirus pandemic shook all aspects of human existence. It

caused heavy financial concerns as world trade collapsed greatly. The
deaths that resulted caused panic and mental crisis amongst people of all
social classes. Misleading and false information saturated the internet
amplifying the emotional trauma. People were forced to stay home, schools
closed, productivity decline was major causing restlessness among the
masses. This restlessness resulted in increased criminal activities on and off
the internet, frustrating the government even further. 2020 was a grim year
worldwide and it got even worse as the year progressed. A few cases of the
devastation and how it could have been prevented are discussed below.

The greatest world recession in years was created by the pandemic. This
was the world’s reality in 2020, irrespective of the forceful efforts of the
government to counter the downslide with financial and monetary policy
support. Travel and tourism which account for 10% of global GDP shut down
abruptly causing 50 million jobs to be at risk worldwide. The effect of this
recession was felt mostly by the small and medium sized enterprises, the
least well paid and independent workers practicing in the gig economy. The
economy was not prepared in the least for the blow and it was indeed near
fatal.

Now, there are a few preparations that can give today’s economy a fighting
chance against the expected deadly pandemic. External funding can be
acquired to stockpile in preparation to cushion the world market, reduce
redundancy and unemployment thereby halting the strides of poverty and
starvation. Also there is an urgent need for a stable currency which would
encourage foreign investment boosting the home economy. Tight fiscal
discipline and anti-inflationary monetary policies are also of utmost
importance. Small and large businesses must also try to show solidarity to
protect staff and the community at large. “Business-disruption” insurance
for pandemics that would pay out as soon as the epidemic reaches a certain
threshold is also a wise investment at this point in time. Business owners
must be ready to take the bull by it’s reins in order to face the pandemic
head on without encountering much loss.

The health sector is another aspect of civilization that was dangerously hit
by the pandemic. Naturally, the hospital is first point of call during periods of
widespread illnesses. Therefore it’s understandable that the hospitals would
need to be more than adequately prepared for a pandemic. In 2020, the
covid 19 pandemic met with a grossly inadequate healthcare system, worse
in developing countries. There was a severe lack of ventilators and other
equipment required in stabilizing and treating the disease worldwide leading
to less than optimal management of cases accounting for thousands of
deaths around the globe

Healthcare personnel must be prepared adequately for the incoming

pandemic. A proper understanding of the viral behavior of the known flu
viruses would help to predict the novel flu virus. Government must also
ensure that stockpiling of medical facilities begins as soon as possible. Also,
additional laboratory capacity is needed for adequate testing and treatment.
Most importantly, public health guidelines and strategies must be be
employed to ensure proper management of the pandemic and to curb
spread.

There are other steps that can be taken to prepare the world adequately for
this novel flu virus. Emergency school response plan should be put in place
to ensure flexible syllabuses and learning systems. A loss of human capital
as a result of broken world trade would only lead to increased criminal
activity therefore unemployment rate must drastically reduce. A steady
penalty must be enforced for anyone spreading misleading or false
information about the pandemic. Lastly the public must be adequately
informed and encouraged to fight the pandemic as one collective force.

The human race has proven to be resistant to everything that has been
thrown at it. The human need for survival is primal and raw and it is the
factor to motivates man to fight even when hope seems to be lost. The sense
of humanity and love for life is simply the cake icing. Over the span of
history, mankind has survived through a lot of perilous times. Therefore, I am
confident that with proper planning and execution, the next pandemic would
be controlled and managed highly effectively for the collective benefit of the
entire world.
-Aghogu Isabella Chioma
300 level Medicine and Surgery.
Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI).