Bill Gates calls for enhanced research on infectious diseases

Hyderabad: Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates has stated that health was going to be one of the most high-growth areas. In a fireside chat with Information Technology and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao conducted on the sidelines of BioAsia-2022 conference, Gates emphasised that there was a need for the world to spend more on research and development, and infectious diseases.

"Infectious diseases are quite modest when compared to cancer or a heart or neurological disease, and yet this pandemic is a reminder that we have to do a better job on those too. The opportunities for the innovators are all over in India and should be seen as an opportunity to improve all of our health," he said. Gates also spoke on using new platforms like the mRNA and building up the capacity in India as a reserve for future pandemics.

"This will also augment efforts in preparing vaccines for some of the most difficult diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria," he opined. Addressing KTR's observation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) being a sustainable development problem, Gates said, "The international health metrics estimate 1.3 million deaths attributed to this microbial resistance. We see AMR for pneumonia, typhoid and for women who are delivering, which is an incredible tragedy. One particular bacterium which we are worried about is Klebsiella pneumonia which affects newborns.

What we need to do is develop better antibiotics to attack these diseases with new small molecule, drugs or in some cases with antibodies with costs going down to be usable throughout the world." The 19th edition of BioAsia-2022 witnessed a 23-minute gripping rendezvous between Bill Gates, Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Co-founder Microsoft and Minister KTR.

Bill Gates imparted his learnings from the pandemic-stricken years, enunciating on the importance of building new capacities for equitable health with contemporary tools to ensure that the world was prepared when the next pandemic strikes.