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Is it true that NOBODY anticipated the economic impact of a virus like the coronavirus?

Tuesday, April 28, 2020
By William Boger
NO

Economists and public-health authorities have been warning of the global economic threat of a pandemic for decades. In 2004 the World Health Organization reported on globalization and the impact of a global pandemic. In 2008 the European Molecular Biology Organization looked at the cost of pathogens around the world, noting that "we are witnessing a slow realization among public-health experts and the general public that infectious diseases are back with a vengeance."

In 2018 the International Monetary Fund analyzed how epidemics have directly affected various economies across the globe, calling for "proactive steps to manage the risk of epidemics and mitigate their impact."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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