A new kind of terrorism can wipe out millions in less than a year: Bill Gates

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned world leaders against the perils of 'bio-terrorism', and stated that the time has come for dedicating funds on preparing for the looming threat.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Gates warned that the threat of bio-terrorism is "right up there with nuclear war and climate change," reports the CNN.

The billionaire turned philanthropist, who has invested heavily in health initiatives around the globe, has began speaking out in the hopes of generating more investment in vaccines and medical research.

He says it's now necessary for the world to prep for what he considers to be one of its largest existential threats: the next pandemic.

"Whether it occurs by a quirk of nature or at the hand of a terrorist, epidemiologists say a fast-moving airborne pathogen could kill more than 30 million people in less than a year. And they say there is a reasonable probability the world will experience such an outbreak in the next 10 to 15 years."

Gates further pointed out that the most recent pandemic was even more deadly than that, which was a flu outbreak killed between 50 million and 100 million people in 1918.

Gates said modern technology can help prevent such a large-scale death toll.

"The good news is that with advances in biotechnology, new vaccines and drugs can help prevent epidemics from spreading out of control. I'm optimistic that a decade from now, we can be much better prepared for a lethal epidemic if we're willing to put a fraction of what we spend on defense budgets and new weapons systems into epidemic readiness," he said.