My generation has a weird relationship with pandemics, since we actually went through one in school. We remember the lockdowns, the masks, the online classes, all of it. So when scientists say “the next one is coming,” we’re not thinking about it. We’ve seen the movie.
And experts are very clear that there will be a next one. The WHO even has a name for the unknown future germ that could cause it: “Disease X.” Nobody knows yet whether it’ll be a new flu, a new coronavirus, or something we’ve never seen. What they do know is that the conditions that let these things jump from animals to humans aren’t going away.
The encouraging news is that the world isn’t just sitting around. In May 2025, countries adopted something called the WHO Pandemic Agreement, basically a global plan to prevent and prepare for the next outbreak together instead of every country trying to figure out on their own. A lot of the work is stuff like disease surveillance, watching for spillover from animals, and making sure vaccines and treatments can be made fast and shared fairly.
The whole point of preparing is to do it before the emergency. It’s like a fire drill. You don’t figure out where the exits are while the building is on fire. One health official put it bluntly: pandemics are national security threats. They’re that serious.
As someone who wants to be a doctor, this is exactly the kind of problem I want to help with. The smartest move in public health is almost always the one you make early.
The Global Pulse 