A few years ago, I heard one of the government’s senior scientific advisors discussing a possible pandemic. It was not a question of whether, he said. It was when. I wish I had taken more notice. Then again, what could I have done? What, indeed, could the government have done? Most important of all, we must look to the future. What could be done to prevent, or at least mitigate, future global health crises? Even if the alarming rumours about China prove to be greatly exaggerated, there is every likelihood that we are once again in the realm of when, not whether.