Fact Check: Did Bill Gates Predict and Warn About Corona-Like Virus Pandemic Five Years Ago In 2015's TED Talk Video?
Video of Bill Gates' TED Talk called "The next outbreak? We’re not ready," is being shared on social media again. Was Gates right? Yes, he was. He did not exactly know of Corona but he mentioned the flu that will spread widely. He made a warning five years ago that we were not up to the mark to deal with an epidemic and today we are seeing it.
As Coronavirus continues to spread, people are desperately hoping for a cure soon. Amid all the quarantine situation that has been imposed everywhere, many people are reading into the conspiracy theories surrounding the outbreak. From finding predictions in books written years ago to digging out some videos, a lot of fake news is spreading on social media. Now, Bill Gates' TED Talk from the year 2015 in which he warned of the next epidemic outbreak, has got people wondering if the billionaire already had an idea about Coronavirus. Video of Bill Gates' TED Talk called "The next outbreak? We’re not ready," is being shared on social media again. Was Gates right? Yes, he was. He did not exactly know of Corona but he mentioned the flu will spread widely. He made a warning five years ago that we were not up to the mark to deal with an epidemic and today we are seeing it. Fact Check: Nostradamus' Theory About Coronavirus Prediction is False, Know Truth About The Viral Image.
The Microsoft founder and global philanthropist spoke in reference to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 in the Western African region. To quote him, "The world is simply not prepared to deal with a disease—an especially virulent flu, for example—that infects large numbers of people very quickly. Of all the things that could kill 10 million people or more, by far the most likely is an epidemic." The number of death by COVID-19 is inching towards 15,000 and about 3 lakh people are infected all over. The World Health Organisation officially declared the outbreak of Coronavirus’ type COVID-19 a ‘pandemic’. The situation is turning grave day by day and scientists and researchers are working hard to devise a cure. So these words by Gates' come back to remind that we may not be well equipped to deal with this pandemic. Fact Check: News of Russian President Vladimir Putin Released 800 Lions and Tigers in Streets Shared on Social Media is FAKE.
Watch Video of Bill Gates' TED Talk on 'The Next Outbreak':
He spoke about how there is not enough investment in the health systems that could stop an epidemic. Giving an example on Ebola he spoke how we lacked a system to deal with an epidemic at all. He stated "we are not ready for the next epidemic" and the statement states very true seeing the recent events. Gates' may not have predicted the COVID-19 but his understanding of the situation during one, unfortunately, stands true.
Fact check
Bill Gates' warned about an epidemic five years ago and how we are not ready to deal with it.
Yes, Bill Gates did speak about an flu-like epidemic in the next 10 years.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2020 04:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).