The next pandemic could happen next year. Or in 2033. Or 2052. It might come from one of hundreds of known coronaviruses now circulating in bats. It could be a nasty paramyxovirus, from goats. Or it might be a newly-mutated strain of flu that ravages the lungs of millions. There’s no dearth of evolving microbes, capable of producing a new human scourge, on Earth.
But we’re not sitting ducks.
To ready us for looming pandemics, experts in education and infectious diseases emphasize that society can, and should, equip our future generations to manage or limit the suffering and despair wrought by disease outbreaks. This is certainly a challenge. But the current generation of adults in charge has struggled to reign in the pandemic, hobbled by a broad lack of scientific literacy, politics, and disinformation. It’s paramount to correct these deficits before the next outbreak.
“A more scientifically literate citizen is the goal,” said Kelley Le, a former high school science teacher who now directs the UCI Science Project, an educational research group that supports teachers in effectively teaching the sciences.
A pandemic-resilient populace means understanding that pandemics, however terrible, are natural and repeated episodes in human history — not shocking or conspiratorial events. It also means preparing our young for the stresses of living through a pandemic, becoming a critical thinker familiar with how science works, and knowing how to find credible sources of information, while avoiding deluges of today’s disinformation.
The alternative, unfortunately, is the vulnerable, unaware, and ill-prepared swath of the public we have today: Where protesters at times vilify pandemic experts, people swallow inappropriate and unproven drugs, and some shun simple measures that dramatically limit deaths.