A paper in the latest edition of PlosOne on Societal Learning in Epidemics uses the 2003 SARS epidemic.
“Conclusion: These results show that the rate of societal learning can greatly affect the final size of disease outbreaks, justifying investment in early warning systems and attentiveness to disease outbreak by both government authorities and the public. We submit that the burden of emerging infections, including the risk of a global pandemic, could be efficiently reduced by improving procedures for rapid detection of outbreaks, alerting public health officials, and aggressively educating the public at the start of an outbreak.”
If tptb could see that whatever short-term economic losses caused by encouraging the public and essential infrastructures to prep were better than the loss of millions of lives and their potential participation in any future economies…
The rich can’t keep getting “richer” if all the poor (and under age 40 or 30 or 20 and younger) people die; no food, no transport, no grid, no one to provide health care, no one to collect taxes from, no future generation to care for them in their old age…
Priorities of individuals and govt are all out of whack. Where does our air, water, food, health, education, true security come from? “Status quo”, at the cost of freedom, information, or even survival, is too much circusses and not enough grain, bread bakers, nor bread.
“At the start of an outbreak is <i>too late</i> - learning curves need to start now; before masses are getting sick with a panflu, so communities can become more resiliant.