‘Two pandemics a year’: Australia faces double whammy of virus threats, not just from Covid

Australians have been warned to get ready for two pandemic threats every year after a new report found that ‘viruses [are] shifting between species at alarming rates’.

A shocking new report from CSIRO said diseases such as Covid that crossover from animals to people – zoonotic viruses – are the likeliest cause of future pandemics. 

As deadly breakouts become more common, coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 which caused Covid-­19 will remain among the greatest dangers to humans. 

In Australia, Covid-19, which probably jumped from bats to humans, has so far caused a loss of $144billion of economic output and caused the death of more than 13,500 people. 

The next crisis could also come from para­myxoviruses, which caused Hendra disease, and flaviviruses, which caused ­mosquito-borne dengue and Zika infections. 

‘As the world continues to better understand these connections between human, animal, plant and environmental health,’ the report says, viruses are moving from animals to humans at ‘alarming rates’.

‘In addition to known viruses, on average two novel viruses are appearing in humans each year and the proportion that give rise to larger outbreaks is growing. 

‘Many of these viruses have pandemic potential – the potential to spread across multiple continents.’

The report, Strengthening Australia’s Pandemic Preparedness, includes 20 recommendations based on the advice of 146 experts from government, industry and research agencies. 

CSIRO said the flu virus and Ross River fever-inducing togavirus could also cause pandemics and Australia must be prepared for that possibility.

It warns that the world is not yet properly prepared for another global pandemic.  

‘Global understanding across most viruses of pandemic potential is insufficient to mount a medical countermeasure response in a relativity short timeframe,’ it said. 

A new report warns that ‘it is becoming clearer that viruses are shifting between species at alarming rates’. Pictured are people wearing face masks in Bondi, Sydney 

The report said that Australia has limited resources, but could benefit from focusing its efforts on viruses with ‘a high pandemic risk to humans’ such as coronaviruses. 

Among the recommendations are that Australia expands its drug manufacturing capacity to more vaccine types and works towards ‘repurposing’ existing medicines against known pandemic threats.

Australian’s have been warned to prepare for two pandemics every year (stock image of scientist working in a laboratory)

Strengthening Australia’s Pandemic Preparedness also recommends that the country’s genomic testing systems need to be improved after being unprepared for the Omicron variant of Covid-19.  

Fewer than two per cent of Covid cases were sequenced last February, compared to 50 per cent in October 2020. 

CSIRO has also called for a national genomic analysis body to aid cooperation between the areas of human, animal and environmental health.

In what is called its ‘2030 Vision’ the report recommends that by the end of the decade, ‘Australia contributes to global efforts to improving virus and host knowledge across all the major known pandemic threats.’  

It wants a level of preparedness so that what is already known is ‘adaptable to responding to’ a new disease. 

The report said preclinical studies should be ‘coordinated with product development pathways including translational science, manufacturing and health system requirements’. 

Recommendations from new report, Strengthening Australia’s Pandemic Preparedness