World virus

Over the past 30 years world poverty has been on the decline. This is the result of continuous economic growth in the western world plus the opening of free markets in Asia. During this time over one billion people have been removed from extreme poverty status and world was on tract to getting rid of extreme poverty in ten years but all that has come to a halt with the virus. There is an old saying that when America sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold and the poorest people get pneumonia. During the infamous Spanish flu in 1918 about 6% of the worlds population died but 30% of those in India died. As bad as this virus is in the west it will be much worse if and when it hits the underdeveloped countries particularly those in Africa.