NEW YORK, New York — A TV business reporter pursued the avian flu story with Virgin Atlantic Chairman Richard Branson here at the Time Global Health Summit.

Richard Branson Time Global Health Summit vaccine flu outbreak airline stockpiling global health issues
Photo courtesy of Evan Agostini / Time
Richard Branson at the Time Global Health Summit.

The resulting exchange made the headlines, as Branson elaborated on his firm’s preparation for a possible flu outbreak by stockpiling vaccines for its airline staff. But the long-term news, I thought, was Branson’s ambitious call for an international “war room” to monitor, coordinate, and respond to global health issues, particularly in Africa.

It makes perfect sense — use the technologies of military, shipping, and media logistics to manage myriad, complex responses to avian flu, pandemics, famine, and drought.

–J. Carl Ganter
Circle of Blue director

J. Carl Ganter is co-founder and managing director of Circle of Blue. He is a journalist and photojournalist, recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Award, and an Explorers Club Fellow.