Deadly pandemic could easily wipe out 10 MILLION, Bill Gates warns

A deadly mosquito-borne pandemic poses a greater threat to humankind than global war, billionaire Bill Gates warns.

In a hard-hitting new documentary, the world's richest man said a killer bug could wipe out 10 million people without warning.

Footage seen by MailOnline, set to be aired next week, shows the philanthropist's worries towards the danger of disease-carrying mosquitos.

An outbreak could mimic the damage of the Ebola epidemic in late 2014 or the burden of that of the deadly SARS outbreak in 2003, experts worry.

Climate change warming the planet is allowing for mosquitos to spread from their usual habitats, posing a risk to many in the northern hemisphere.

While growing populations in these dense areas and the increasing ease of global travel mean the danger of a pandemic looms large if a virus was to break out - of which the likelihood is growing.

Mr Gates made the claim amid rising tension between Russia and North Korea, which has generated genuine fears of deadly conflict.

Lack of resources 

The threat is heightened by the lack of resources available to fight a fatal outbreak that could spread around the world at lightning speed, he said.

Speaking on the documentary, titled Mosquito, Mr Gates said millions are adamant such outbreaks only occur in third-world countries.

He said: 'At the top of the list of things I worry about, the risk of a very serious pandemic is quite substantial.

'If you say what could kill 10 million people – yes a war could, but a pandemic is probably even more likely to come and surprise us in that way.' 

Recent epidemic 

The documentary, which will be broadcast on the Discovery Channel, looked into the recent Zika virus epidemic that struck more than 70 countries.  

Researchers on the programme also warned of the danger of dengue virus, known to be spreading rapidly throughout the world.

The plight of millions of children in Africa, where malaria is rife and kills two people each minute, was also touched upon.

All of the above viruses, and others including the West Nile and Chikungunya, pose a similar threat to humanity, the documentary warns.

'Spread like wildfire' 

Each has the ability to 'spread like wildfire' - something that was unthinkable 20 years ago, said Dr Bart Knols, who has devoted his career to the study of mosquitoes.

Disease-carrying mosquitos kill more than 750,000 people a year, many of whom being children, global figures have shown.

Mr Gates' comments come as a stark warning, especially seeing as the 61-year-old has previously said bio-terrorism could wipe out 30 million.

Before the turn of the year, Mr Gates also said that health organisations across the world are unprepared for a major flu pandemic.

'Vulnerable right now' 

Stating the world was 'a bit vulnerable right now', he claimed previous pandemics have exposed serious weaknesses in the ability to tackle health emergencies.

In 1918, the flu pandemic killed 250,000 people in Britain and 65 million around the world - three times as many as World War I.

If it was to hit today, it would have even more severe effects, considering how quickly it can spread between people, Mr Gates said in the new programme.

Earlier this year he warned world leaders in Munich there is 'reasonable probability' of a pandemic to strike in the next 10 to 15 years.

Major Zika project 

His latest comments come just months after the Microsoft founder announced details of a major project to tackle the Zika virus.

On behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he donated £14.5 million to find a cure to the most recent threat to humanity.

The tropical virus has the ability to infect more than two billion people in total before it dies out completely, statisticians predict.

Mr Gates has almost solely dedicated the past decade of his life to building up the charitable enterprise, after leaving Microsoft in 2006.

The foundation has since pumped billions of pounds into health programmes around the world, including infectious disease controls.

The full Mosquito documentary can be watched on the Discovery Channel on Thursday July 6 at 9pm.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter