The Lancet Infectious Diseases: How to be ready for the next influenza pandemic
Editorial Board

“…[O]n the centenary of the 1918 [influenza] pandemic, it is timely to ask ourselves whether the world would be prepared now for such an event. The answer sadly is no: we do not know what virus will cause the next pandemic, there is no way to rapidly develop and deploy an effective vaccine against a pandemic virus, differences in quality of health systems hamper a prompt response, and surveillance data on influenza have major gaps. … In order to improve the preparedness of the global health community to a pandemic, three areas are crucial: vaccination, surveillance, and building response capacity. … The next influenza pandemic will be a real test for the international health community. We should not find ourselves unprepared — to be so could cost millions of lives” (July 2018).