Inside a specialised laboratory, Australian scientists are working around the clock to identify what might become the next global pandemic.
From diphtheria to Ebola, even hantavirus, the deadly virus that recently caused a cruise ship outbreak and saw Australians quarantined in Perth, researchers at the new Centre for Disease Control are monitoring threats closely.
In her first television interview, the boss of Australia’s new Centre for Disease Control, Professor Zoe Wainer, said the biggest disease threat was not yet known.
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Wainer, an experienced doctor, is charged with preparing Australia for the next pandemic.
“The one we don’t know is coming. That certainly keeps me awake, Disease X, as it’s sometimes referred to,” she said.
“We didn’t know that Hantavirus was going to occur on a ship, we couldn’t possibly have predicted that, but what we can say is it didn’t spread.”
The CDC was created in the wake of COVID-19.
The role of the Australian centre is to monitor all infectious diseases and provide public health advice independent from all governments.
“Our job is to be scanning the horizon to understand the international risk,” Weiner said.
“We have the processes in place to ensure that we can keep the nation safe.”
Health experts say it’s only a matter of time before Australia faces another pandemic, making the agency’s work crucial.
However, one of COVID-19’s lasting impacts is eroded public trust in health authorities, fuelled by misinformation and disinformation on social media.
Wainer admits rebuilding public trust may be the nation’s biggest health challenge.
“It’s really eroding public health advice globally,” she said.
“It’s on agencies like mine to really deeply listen and understand what those concerns are.”
