Anticipating the next Black Death

In the years ahead, will pandemics become less common or more common? How likely is a virulent new outbreak of influenza? Or should we pay more attention to other sorts of disease? Has globalisation given the world more resilience in how to respond to pandemics, or put us at greater risk? Do infectious diseases invariably evolve into a less deadly form? Why were important "lessons to be learned" from SARS and other recent pandemics not, in fact, taken to heart? What are the prospects for something akin to a new Black Death, and how could society stop that from happening?

These are a sample of the questions that author and journalist Debora MacKenzie will be discussing in conversation with London Futurists on Saturday 7th November.

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This event will be hosted on Zoom. There is no charge to register or to attend. To register, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__4UWZ4iJQbm7tPLKrJLDHw

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Debora's recent book, "COVID-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened, and How to Stop the Next One", has been highly acclaimed.

From https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/debora-mackenzie/covid-19/9780349128351/:

"You could not hope for a better guide to the pandemic world order than Debora MacKenzie, who's been on this story from the start. This is an authoritative yet readable explanation of how this catastrophe happened - and more important, how it will happen again if we don't change" - Tim Harford, author of THE UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST, ADAPT and MESSY

"This definitely deserves a read - the first of the post mortems by a writer who knows what she's talking about" - Laura Spinney, Author of PALE RIDER: THE SPANISH FLU OF 1918 AND HOW IT CHANGED THE WORLD

"Impressively paced and comprehensive", New Statesman

"Excellent... analyses clearly and authoritatively how the coronavirus pandemic played out, what governments should have done, and what we need to do when it happens again - as it undoubtedly will", Financial Times

"I loved this book. Fast-paced, engaging, couldn't put it down. A heart-pounding telling of the misadventures that led to one of the worst pandemics in history. A story that we all think we know, but don't. And a story whose lessons, if unlearned, we will be condemned to repeat" - Dr Paul Ofitt, Author of PANDORA'S LAB and VACCINATED, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

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Debora MacKenzie has been covering emerging diseases for more than 30 years as a science journalist at the New Scientist and elsewhere. She has been reporting on Covid-19 from the start, and she was among the first journalists to suggest that it could become a pandemic. From SARS to rabies and Ebola to AIDS, she has been on the frontline throughout her career in reporting on how pandemics form, why they spread, and how to stop them.

In addition to infectious disease, Debora also specializes in reporting on the science of complexity and social organization. In 2010, she won the American Society for Microbiology Public Communication Award. Before becoming a journalist, she worked as a biomedical researcher.

Born in Canada, Debora has lived in continental Europe since 1980, formerly in Brussels, and currently near Geneva, Switzerland.

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The webinar will start broadcasting at 4pm UK time on Sat 7th November. To find this time in other timezones, see https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20201107T160000&p1=136

You are advised to log into Zoom up to 10 minutes ahead of the publicised start time of the event, so you won't miss the start of the live broadcast.

Attendees will be welcome to raise questions and vote to prioritise questions raised by others.

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To register for this event, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__4UWZ4iJQbm7tPLKrJLDHw

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Note: in case all Zoom registrations have been used up before you register for this event, you can view the event as a live stream, https://www.youtube.com/c/Londonfuturists/videos