A collaborative approach is needed to avoid the next pandemic

HERE is a sinister idea: as climate change thaws the world’s ice and permafrost, frozen viruses and bacteria may emerge and cause deadly outbreaks of ancient diseases. We might one day have to face Neanderthal influenza or Homo erectus anthrax.

Most readers will, on balance, feel that we have had enough novel diseases lately. But the good news is that there is plenty we can do to reduce the chances of a major outbreak. Increased monitoring in remote permafrost zones, for example, will give public health agencies a chance to stamp out diseases before they gain a foothold.

So…