A new report by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (a joint body of the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization) warns that the world is currently facing an uptick in infectious disease outbreaks that are increasingly difficult to control. Between 2011 and 2018, WHO tracked 1,483 separate epidemic events – diseases that spread to a large number of people in a specific population within a rapid timeframe – in 172 countries. In addition to the human cost, epidemic events devastate economies. The World Bank estimates a $53 billion loss – economic and social –resulting from the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak. Here's a look at select epidemic events, globally, between 2011- January 2018.
