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University of Canterbury epidemiolgist Associate Professor Arindam Basu says it's crucial to combine disease surveillance and climate modelling to pre-empt future pandemics. In the last three years the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared two public health emergencies of international concern: COVID-19 and monkeypox. Dr Basu says these are not separate issues The spread of disease from animals to humans is on the rise with the increasing destruction of natural habitats from global warming, more international travel and a sharp rise in wildlife trade. Dr Basu says this makes for a perfect storm of transmission and as long as surveillance systems depend on diseases that have already emerged, we run the risk of more frequent pandemics.
