We used to smash plates to disturb the atmosphere, study our astrological alignments and try to balance our humours. This is how early doctors advised dealing with nasty diseases.

It was not until the 19th Century that preventing pandemics became an art, when British reformer Edwin Chadwick took it upon himself to undertake an inquiryAsking for information. Also used to refer to long official investigations. into the causes of the choleraA dangerous infection, still present in some parts of the world that is usually caught from drinking unclean water. epidemicA widespread disease or infection..

In the 1848 Public Health act, inspired by his work, there were big improvements to sanitation. They did more to stop the spread than anyone imagined. It was the first time the government was made responsible for protecting the health of the public.

Now, the UK is reviving Edwin Chadwick's tradition. A new study will look at what we can learn from the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to be critical of the government's response.

The inquiry will cost hundreds of millions of pounds, but will not deliver its final response until 2026. The panel is seeking stories from the public about their experiences.

Some people are arguing that it is too little, too late. By 2022, Sweden had already completed a Covid-19 report which analysed its own successes and failures. In France and Italy, ministers are even facing criminal proceedings for mishandling pandemic policy.

Others say that the inquiry will be a necessary reminder of the risks of a future pandemic. Experts have warned that the UK is no better prepared now than it was in 2020 to prevent the spread of a new virus or strain.

They cite record A&E waiting times, ambulance delays, waiting lists and insufficient supplies of PPEPersonal protective equipment or politics, philosophy and economics as potentially catastrophic factors if a new wave of illness hits the UK.

Even more worryingly, scientists think that it is not an issue of if, but of when. Modelling has suggested that there is a 38% chance that we will experience another pandemic within our lifetimes.

Yes: We are developing new technologies every day. Countries are working together. With every year that passes by we get closer to perfecting the method for warding off pandemics.

No: Many excess deaths were caused during Covid-19 by a failure to fund public healthcare services, and nothing has been done to make this better. This is true in many countries.

Or... One thing that the inquiry has highlighted so far is that the UK was too busy planning for an influenzaAlso known as the flu, a common viral infection among humans causing a high temperature. pandemic to have prepared for a coronavirus. Pandemics will always be unpredictable, and some of our response is based on luck.