Are we prepared for an epidemic?

With the run on fainting couches at your local big box store, and the news stories going on about how the administration was so totally unprepared, I saw a link in the comments today over at Old NFO's blog.  Old NFO is J.L. Curtis, by the way, who writes entertaining fiction.

The Global Health Security Index.  From their website:

The GHS Index is a project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (JHU) and was developed with The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Doesn't sound like some kook sitting in his basement typing out conspiracy theories.

So, what do they have to say?   You wouldn't guess if you only watch the news here in the United States, but here's a hint.  We are ranked pretty highly when it comes to epidemic preparedness.

Highly as in #1.  Their report also has recommendations as to what countries can do to improve their preparedness, so they aren't just making lists and pointing fingers.  Might be too late to improve this round but given that these things seem to be popping up every ten years or so, wouldn't be a bad idea to think about the long run.

So relax, go for a walk, make a nice dinner, and take sensible precautions.  Oh, and shut off the damn news.  They are either stupid or have an agenda.  Or both.


PS Would it be racist to notice that they seem to be predominantly coming from China?  Maybe taking that into account should also be a part of our planning.