Effective Strategies to cope with Next Pandemics: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 to Improve Outlook of Next Crisis Management

Countries are still dealing with the tail of the COVID-19 pandemic, and scholars and experts are already guessing that future pandemics and/or epidemics are almost inevitable events. In the context of climate, environmental and social change, one of the problems is not whether a new pandemic will happen, but when the next health emergency will emerge. The goal of this study is to analyze anthropogenic activities that may trigger factors determining pandemic threats and how nations can act to prevent and/or improve the preparedness to cope with the next pandemic crises. Results and discussion suggest that the next infectious disease similar to COVID-19 is the effects of main factors associated with high population growth worldwide, polluting industrialization, energy crisis, land use change, ecological and climate change, environmental pollution and in particular the change of the interrelationship between humans, fauna and plant life. In this context, large cities and conurbations can be the epicenter to amplify pandemic waves because of the high density of people, high air pollution, accelerated mobility and intensive trade at national and international levels. In fact, the globalization of economies and the high interaction of people within and between nations are critical factors for the diffusion of new viral agents around the world. To solve these urgent issues and improve forecasting, prevention and preparedness to cope with the next pandemic crisis, this study suggests strategic actions of surveillance that governments should implement for a reduction and/or removal of complex factors determining pandemics and new diseases that threaten national and global health. Hence, like MERS, COVID-19, etc., the next pandemic threats are the effects of a deterioration of the total environment and anthropogenic activities in a world based on different economic competitions. Discussions here suggest how nations should design appropriate strategies to be prepared to implement appropriate policy responses when the next pandemic impact occurs to mitigate socioeconomic and health negative impacts.