Bill Gates Says 'Next Pandemic Can Emerge Anywhere' And The World Isn't Prepared: 'We Can't Afford To Get Caught Flat-Footed Again'

Bill Gates has been warning about pandemics for nearly a decade, but his biggest fear isn't just another outbreak—it's that the world isn't learning from past mistakes. Even after COVID-19, which shut down economies and killed millions, Gates says we're still not prepared for the next global health crisis. In March 2023, he wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times, saying the world is once again making the same costly mistakes. "We can't afford to get caught flat-footed again," he wrote. Do