Financial Times: Letter: World Bank is uniquely placed to combat threat of pandemics
Richard Bissell, former assistant administrator at USAID, and Richard Seifman, Technical Review Panel member at the Global Fund

“…It is not ‘if’ but ‘when’ and ‘where’ there will be another infectious disease outbreak requiring extreme measures to control. One institution capable of leading a serious response is the World Bank. It can convince the financial decision-makers of developing countries that dealing with infectious diseases early on is critical for their economies and livelihoods. In other words, it can make a compelling case for containing pandemics before they reach others. … The World Bank is perfectly placed to play a unique role in containing the spread of potentially catastrophic illnesses. It is going through a change of leadership, with David Malpass proposed by the U.S. as its new president. But whoever takes charge, making pandemic investments must be a priority” (2/24).