Infectious diseases and associated deaths have reduced, but they remain a significant threat throughout the world. Infectious diseases outbreaks and the fear and panic that accompany them present various economic risks. 

First, there are costs to the health system, both public and private, of medical treatment of the infected and of outbreak control. Concern over the spread of a relatively contained outbreak can lead to decreased trade. Travel and tourism to regions affected by outbreaks are also likely to decline. Some long-running outbreaks, such as HIV, prevent foreign direct investment. 

The economic risks are large. It is estimated that the expected yearly cost of infectious diseases is at roughly $500 billion. Even when the health impact of an outbreak is relatively limited, its economic consequences can quickly become expanded. Liberia, for example, saw GDP growth decline 8 percentages from 2013 to 2014 during the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

The risk is complex, but policymakers have tools in response.

Investing in improved health care, supply of clean water, and better health systems can reduce the frequency of human contact with viruses. Investment in reliable disease monitoring in both human and animal populations is also critical. Within formal global watch systems, instead of discouraging reporting possible outbreaks, it may be beneficial to develop incentives for reporting suspected cases, as countries may reasonably fear the effects of such reporting on trade, tourism, and other economic outcomes. Informal monitoring systems, social media for example, which collect information from official reports, media reports, online discussions, and eyewitness observations, can also help national health systems and international responders get ahead of the outbreak news during the early stages. Cooperations for monitoring infectious diseases readiness at the national level provide information national governments can use to react timely to their outbreaks.

There is a significant market failure when it comes to vaccines (疫苗) against individual low-probability viruses that collectively are likely to cause panic. Given the low probability that any single vaccine of this type will be needed, high Research and Development (R&D) costs, and delayed returns, medical companies hesitate to invest in their development. However, responsible international corporations such as CFPI can overcome this market failure. Its goals include advancing candidate vaccines against specific low-probability, high-severity viruses through proof of concept to enable rapid clinical testing in the event of outbreaks. It also aims to fund development of institutional and technical platforms to speed R&D in response to outbreaks for which there are no vaccines.

Undoubtedly, humans and infectious viruses will coexist. However, we can take effective measures to manage the risk of the diseases. Joint action now at the local, national, and multinational levels can go a long way toward protecting our collective well-being in the future.

On a cold morning in May, I received a fascinating email from a high school friend. inviting me to a 10-day all-female surfing adventure in Portugal. The offer was irresistible, and I instantly knew my answer was yes. 

The trip seemed simple enough. Ten women, ranging from 30 to 45 years old, all strangers, will gather on the Portuguese coast to embrace the challenge of surfing the Atlantic waves. 

As a travel enthusiast, I quickly sought permission from my boss for this once-in-a- lifetime journey. 

Through my 33 years, I've observed a common adult tendency: we often limit ourselves to refining skills we already possess. There's a certain pride in improving our expertise, becoming increasingly knowledgeable in our chosen fields, yet unintentionally, this focus often leaves other skills undeveloped and leads to neglecting other areas of potential growth. 

Two days later, I arrived in Ericeira, a charming surf town, where I met my surfing group. Despite our different personalities and backgrounds, we were all united in a persistent desire to challenge ourselves, learn, tackle and grow. 

The shores at Ericeira, where the beginners learn to surf, are shallow and covered with slippery rocks. They make for softer waves but are difficult to navigate （驾驭）. 

Guided by our amazing coaches, together, we faced the waves. Sometimes, it poured with rain, and the waves crashed around us, but we were still out there. And with every slip and fall, words of encouragement filled the air. 

Honestly, I probably spent most of my days frozen to the bone, but that didn't matter because a new level of genuine joy and personal achievement had been unlocked. 

Learning a new skill taught me the humbleness that can come from doing badly at something new, and the pride that develops when you finally manage to grasp something you've been working on. 

While surfing might not be my calling, trying it out inspired me to take more risks in life, to step outside of my comfort zone and to never stop believing in myself. You never know what you're capable of if you don't go out there and try. 

It differs greatly between wanting to become a great magician and actually doing it. In high school, I staged a show and my entire world came out to watch—friends and family members, everyone I want to impress.The audience all looked on in horror, fascination and pity, siting there mute, enduring the spectacle and waiting for the show to end.

A few years later, I staged a Harry Houdini-style underwater escape in the river that flowed through the middle of the campus of the University of lowa, where I went to school. I stood on a boat in the middle of the river wearing nothing but biking shorts and weights around my wrists and ankles. The sky was dead and gray, and the water was dead and gray, and a freezing breeze blew across its surface.

Technically, I succeeded. I jumped into the water, sank to the bottom, and escaped from the locks and the chains before swimming to the surface, But it didn't feel like a success. When Houdini did it, thousands of people turned up to watch. I had about a dozen who stopped on their way to class, and the police showed up because someone thought I was going to kill myself.

I am living proof, though, that if you throw enough time and effort at something—maybe even anything—you can become good at it. I found inspiration in Houdini's words: The real secret to my success is simple: I work from seven in the morning to midnight and I like it. " This quote lived on a piece of paper stuck to the wall by my bed for ten years. I had hit Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours of practice by the time I turned 22, and he's right-I got pretty good.

The week after I finished school, I drove to Los Angeles to begin my career as a Professional magician. I have never held another job.