OCTOBER 2021LIFE SCIENCES REVIEW8IN MY OPINIONBy Marc Lacey, Global Pandemic Head, SeqirusGRAPPLING WITH UNPREDICTABILITY: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESShat if an influenza pandemic were declared tomorrow? Would it be different from the current coronavirus pandemic? The same as the seasonal flu we experience every year? How could we best prepare governments and their healthcare systems to protect public health? Marc Lacey, Seqirus' Global Pandemic Head, is charged with finding long term responses to these questions and more. He's spent his career studying pandemic dynamics from an industry and public health perspective.At Seqirus, Marc's role involves partnering with governments to support their pandemic readiness and emergency response plans. Pandemic preparedness is about continuous surveillance and risk assessment of the pandemic pathogen underpinned by robust planning. The world has experienced four influenza pandemics since the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. Each new pandemic presents a different challenge. Beyond the considerable toll on mental and physical health, demand on healthcare services and risks to employment security, pandemics place a heavy burden on national economies. The 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic is estimated to have cost over 45 billion dollars and whilst the full cost of the Covid-19 pandemic cannot yet be quantified, W
< Page 7 | Page 9 >