Scientific American: Viruses on a Plane: What Emirates Flight EK203 Teaches Us
Marian W. Wentworth, president and CEO of Management Sciences for Health

“…Preparedness doesn’t happen by chance. A responsive, resilient health system requires commitment and investments of money and time. It is important to stop outbreaks both inside our country and before they reach our borders. … Failing to make necessary investments now will virtually guarantee that a future epidemic will cause great human suffering and be economically disastrous. We must continue to invest in building strong health systems equipped with sufficient resources to catch the next deadly pathogen before it has a chance to get on an airplane and spread across continents. We need to adequately fund CDC operations overseas to help countries get and stay prepared for worst-case scenarios. And we must continue to fund USAID projects that complement this work with projects that strengthen governance and health services around the globe…” (9/27).