If we see pandemics purely as a function of biological details—such as the mutations that make it possible for the pathogen to leave bats and spread in humans or the pharmacokinetics of drugs in our bodies—we may be lulled into thinking that there is nothing we can do to prevent or arrest such events. But if we see pandemics as sociological phenomena as well, we can more clearly recognize the role of human agency. And the more we see our own role in shaping the emergence and unfolding of pandemic disease, the more proactive and effective our responses can be.
