We all want to forget about the grief and destruction caused by COVID-19. But, sadly, public health concerns such as major pandemics could be even more frequent in the future: A 2021 study analyzed data on previous disease outbreaks and found that the rate of novel pandemics breaking loose to infect humans is rising. What's more, the risk of outbreaks will increase three-fold over the coming decades.
“One may erroneously presume that one can afford to wait another 100 years before experiencing another such event,” said Gabriel Katul, a researcher at Duke University and one of the study's authors, in a statement. “This impression is false.”
The need to boost pandemic preparedness is clear. Fortunately, data scientists have taken up the mantle. They’re delving into the untapped potential of social media platforms and search engines to predict the trajectories of infectious diseases, which might help authorities more effectively curb the spread of future pandemics, and also better manage seasonal health problems such as influenza.
