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Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates on Thursday said the world may see another pandemic, likely a respiratory virus, even as he emphasised on strengthening diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines and R &D. The last gigantic pandemic was almost 100 years ago but it won't be that long into the next one strikes, he said, in a virtual fireside chat with Telangana Industries Minister K T Rama Rao as part of 'BioAsisa-2022', the state government's flagship annual life sciences convention. "It won't necessarily be a coronavirus or even the flu. It is likely to be a respiratory virus. Because, with all the human travel we have now, that's the one that can spread in such a rapid way," he said. Gates talked about his upcoming book on the subject, the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the significance of funding the private sector and academia to build better diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. He emphasised that there is a need for the world to spend more on ...