Pandemic caused by corona virus will not end

A study found that China has favorable conditions for the corona virus to spread from horseshoe bats to humans, thereby causing a new outbreak.
A team of researchers used data on horseshoe bat habitats, human land-use changes, population densities and other hazards to draw up a map of “hot spots”. ” in Asia and Europe. Their study was published May 31 in the journal Natural Food .

The study suggests that the “hot spots” will be places where horseshoe bats live and have factors that make the risk of corona virus spread to humans and outbreaks into epidemics. This study does not provide additional information about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but rather points to locations where similar corona viruses may appear in humans in the future. The study results show that southern China is a very high-risk place, and urges us to reduce risk factors, such as reducing deforestation, not just deal with the virus when it has become an epidemic. . Perfect combination” Research by the Intergovernmental Policy-Science Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), a German NGO, shows the number of outbreaks caused by zoonotic diseases object is on the rise. Accordingly, it is humans who are the cause of this increase, through deforestation and destruction of natural ecosystems. At least a third of disease outbreaks since 1960, including Ebola, have been linked to changes in human land use, the report said. Deforestation is one of the many causes of the increasing number of zoonotic diseases being transmitted to humans. Photo: Greenpeace. As humans encroach on natural forest land, the risk of humans coming into contact with wild animals, as well as the pathogens they carry, increases. Newly published research reinforces this hypothesis, as it shows that the risk of humans coming into contact with wildlife increases if the area of ​​primary forest is reduced by 25%. In addition, the destruction of natural habitats also causes disease-carrying species, such as bats and rodents, to become more numerous. Scientists also warn that the occupation of forest land is just one of many causes of zoonotic diseases spreading to humans. High population density, as well as large-scale livestock production, are two other factors that increase the risk. That’s because pets can catch diseases from wild animals or become vectors of disease to humans. The risks to industrial farms are even greater, where large numbers of livestock live in small spaces, and these animals are often less resistant. Outbreak “hot spots” Paolo D’Odorico, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and co-author of the study, said that most research on corona viruses currently focuses on human-to-human transmission, not on the possibility of elimination. This virus is transferred from animals to humans. Therefore, he and his colleagues collected data on forest land occupation, livestock density, population density and a number of other factors and compared it with the habitat of horseshoe bats in Asia and Africa. Europe. Horseshoe bats are considered to be carriers of a large number of corona viruses, including a species closely related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The “hot spots” of potential coronavirus outbreaks are shown in dark red. Photo: Natural Food. The results of the study are represented by a map, in which dark red dots represent areas with a high risk of corona virus spreading to people. In contrast, the blue dots indicate places where there are relatively few conditions for disease outbreaks. Professor David Hayma, another co-author of the study, said that the main concern is that large areas of southern China are still at high risk for a new disease from the corona virus to emerge. In addition, the scientists also pointed out that some areas, including Shanghai, Japan and the Philippines, are at risk of becoming “hot spots” if deforestation continues. “We need surveillance in these areas to prevent the emergence of new diseases,” Hayman said. How to prevent a new outbreak? Scientists estimate that as many as 1.7 million virus species have not been detected in mammals and birds, and half of them have the potential to spread to humans. Professor Andrew Dobson of Princeton University, thinks that the Covid-19 epidemic is a wake-up call for us. “The most important thing is to figure out what we can do to reduce the likelihood of similar events happening,” said Dobson, arguing that we should start from stopping deforestation. Horseshoe bats are considered to carry many pathogens and are capable of spreading to humans. Photo: Wall Street Journal. Professor Dobson said that people living in “hot spots”, such as in southern China, should “put pressure on politicians” to introduce appropriate policies and mechanisms to protect forests. The cost of protecting forests will be much lower than the price we pay each time a pandemic breaks out, IPBES research shows. Besides, experts also warn that the livestock industry should take appropriate measures to prevent livestock from being infected. At the same time, they also call for a greater focus on the earth’s ecosystems. “We knew how to launch rockets into space decades ago. But understanding how diseases spread from animals to humans is a much more difficult problem,” Professor Dobson commented.