BY: LIZAWATI MADFA
SHAH ALAM, FEB 20: There are things worse than nuclear war and the international community must pay attention, said the world billionaire, Bill Gates.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the founder of Microsoft said bioterrorism, including genetically-engineered viruses are so easily created and can kill more victims compared to nuclear war.
He said there is no one country in this world who is prepared for this at this moment.
“The next epidemic has a good chance of originating on a computer screen, whether naturally occurring or manufactured by terrorists, and can kill up to tens of millions of people,” Gates said.
“Unless governments prepare for it the same way they prepare for nuclear war,” he said as reported by Washington Post.
It was reported that none of the panel members stood up to question his warning.
Gates who is also the founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is sceptical of the world’s ability to stop dangerous epidemics since the Ebola had managed to kill thousands of victims two years ago.
“I am worried about the biological equipment used by terrorist, as the same equipment are actually used for beneficial things.
“Nowadays, it is so easy to create a new fever strain combining a fast-spreading version and a fast-fatal version.
“Unlike nuclear war, the disease will not stop killing once it is released,” he warned.
There are worse things than nuclear war – Bill Gates
