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John Gerrard says a developed city like Sydney could not cope with an epidemic of the scale of the recent Ebola outbreak. UNMEER/Martine Perret/Flickr, CC BY-NDThe Spanish Flu of 1918 is estimated to have infected around 500 million, and killed between 20 and 40 million, people around the world - all within the space of a year. It is perhaps the deadliest pandemic in human history. We have seen nothing as devastating since, but outbreaks such as influenza, HIV/AIDS, Zika and Ebola highlight that infectious diseases are a constant threat. William Isdale spoke with Dr. John Gerrard about predicting the next major infectious disease threat, and how we can prevent a pandemic from establishing itself in Australia. Subscribe to The Conversation’s Speaking With podcasts on Apple Podcasts, or follow on Tunein Radio. Additional Audio Next News - Return of Ebola 9 News: A Perth mother of three dying after being struck down by a tick CNN News: There will be a pandemic BBC News: Ebola Virus: Film reveals scenes