Bill Gates has previously shared a stark warning about a possible “next pandemic”, as a hantavirus outbreak linked to a Dutch cruise ship has led to three deaths.
The Microsoft co-founder said in an interview last year that societies need to take preparedness more seriously, arguing that Covid-19 would not be the final global health crisis.
The comments have resurfaced as health officials respond to a hantavirus cluster aboard a cruise ship, where five cases have now been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and three fatalities have been reported.
The ship departed from Argentina roughly a month ago and is currently en route to the Canary Islands, where it is expected to dock this weekend.
In an update, the WHO said it expects the incident to remain a “limited outbreak”. Authorities have also begun contact tracing across multiple countries for passengers who disembarked before the virus was identified.
In the renewed interview clip, Gates, 70, suggested that whatever comes next could be “far more severe” than Covid.
Speaking on The View, the tech giant said: “We should be more prepared, it’s up to the government to think ahead on behalf of the citizens.
“So with a pandemic, there’s a lot you should be doing, but hopefully we’ll get our act together before the next one comes.”
At the same time, WHO officials stressed that the situation does not resemble the early trajectory of Covid-19. Maria van Kerkhove, Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at WHO, told reporters: “I want to be unequivocal here.
“This is not the start of a Covid pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship.”
She also noted that hantavirus transmits “very differently”.
Hantaviruses are typically carried by rodents, with infection most often occurring through contact with infected urine or faeces, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The WHO states: “While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response.”
The Mayo Clinic adds that in more serious cases, the disease can progress to “damaged lung tissues”, with potential signs including low blood pressure, breathing difficulty, and an irregular heart rate.
Common symptoms can include fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.
Although only five cases have been confirmed so far, more may be detected due to the virus’s incubation period, which can extend to six weeks.
The WHO said inquiries into how the outbreak occurred and how widely it may have spread are “still under way”.