Regular testing on mink farms is recommended to rule out the risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to humans. Photo: AFP/VNA After more than a year of the COVID-19 outbreak, people are well aware of the risks of human-animal contact, especially in cases related to deforestation and wildlife trade. high risk. The report builds on the study “Behind the Ivory Ban” conducted by the International Organization for Conservation of Nature and the Global Initiative Reporting Organization in 2020 to gain insight into attitudes and behaviors. public attitudes towards COVID-19 and future pandemics. More than a year after the COVID-19 outbreak, survey results show that people are well aware of close human-animal contact, often linked to deforestation and the endangered wildlife trade. high risk, potential health risks, can cause serious disease outbreaks. In which, 46% of the participants said that transmission of diseases from animals to humans is the root cause that could cause a future pandemic. A recent investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) also indicated that wild animals are likely to be the source of infection of the COVID-19 pandemic. A majority of those surveyed believe that preventing future pandemics should start with addressing the root causes, including high-risk wildlife trade and deforestation. In all five countries, people strongly support government efforts to close high-risk wildlife markets that sell wild-caught animals (85%) and to end wildlife trafficking. deforestation (88%). In which, in Vietnam, the support rate for these two issues is 94% and 95% respectively. In addition, 85% of respondents in all 5 countries support or strongly support the “One Health” approach to dealing with the pandemic. Particularly in Vietnam, the agreement rate is 93% and is the second country with the highest consensus rate. “One Health” is an approach in which action programs, policies and legislation from various sectors work together towards the goal of better health for people, animals and plants, in particular. in the context of the increasing spread of diseases between animals and humans and the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. More specifically, among survey participants in Vietnam, 39% of respondents said they have consumed less wildlife or have stopped consuming wildlife because of COVID-19. In Thailand, this rate nearly doubles from 21% in 2020 to 41% in 2021. While in China, the figure is 28% in 2021. Still, there are 9% of participants. The survey intends to purchase wildlife products in the future in all five countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the lives of human society upside down and forced people to think more deeply about the relationship between humans and nature. The best way to prevent future pandemics is to minimize activities that destroy the natural environment such as deforestation, trade and consumption of unsustainable, high-risk wildlife, rather than passively. respond to disease outbreaks after they emerge. “Preventing a pandemic, it is estimated, will be 100 times less expensive than responding to a pandemic when it breaks out. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that investing in the health of the planet and nature is the only way to avoid paying a hefty economic and social cost,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of the International Organization. on the International Conservation of Nature. Ms. Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, Program Manager against illegal wildlife trade of the International Organization for Conservation of Nature in Vietnam commented: “In July 2020, the Prime Minister issued an Directive Decree No. 29/CT-TTg on some urgent solutions for wildlife management. We expect the Government to continue to closely guide the implementation, promptly reward ministries, branches and localities for good performance and strictly handle localities that have not performed well so that the Directive can come into effect. living”. The results of the Report are an important basis for Vietnam and other countries in the region to consider decisions on closing wildlife markets and closing forests to proactively prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic. as well as possible future outbreaks of wildlife-related diseases to humans. The International Organization for Conservation of Nature calls on policymakers to put in place the interventions needed to address the key drivers of zoonotic disease outbreaks in their pandemic control plans. Translate. For example, closing forests and closing high-risk wildlife markets will help restore animal populations and maintain biodiversity at the national and global levels. Thereby, epidemics can be adjusted naturally, as well as helping to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources.

People in the Eastern Hemisphere can observe Apophis without binoculars by 2029. Exclude from the risk Asteroid 99942 Apophis was discovered in 2004. Apophis was quickly identified as one of the most dangerous asteroids that can impact Earth. However, that impact rating changed as astronomers tracked Apophis and its orbit. Now, results from a new radar observation campaign combined with accurate orbital analysis have helped astronomers conclude that Apophis poses no risk of impacting our planet in the least. at most a century. About 340 meters across, Apophis is quickly known to be an asteroid that could pose a serious threat to Earth. At that time, astronomers predicted that this asteroid would come close to Earth by 2029. Thanks to additional observations of a near-Earth object (NEO), the risk of impact by 2029 has since been eliminated. The scientists then also ruled out the potential impact risk posed by another close approach in 2036. However, a small chance of impact by 2068 is thought to still exist. When Apophis moved away from Earth on March 5, astronomers had an opportunity to use the radar observations vigorously. As a result, it helps refine estimates of the orbits of asteroids around the Sun with extremely high accuracy. Thus, scientists can confidently eliminate all risks of collision by 2068 and much later. “An impact in 2068 is no longer in NASA,” said Davide Farnocchia of the Center for Near-Earth Objects Research (CNEOS) managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California (USA). possibilities could happen again. Our calculations do not show any risk of impact for at least the next 100 years ”. Mr. Farnocchia mentioned the Sentry Risk Impact Table. Maintained by CNEOS, this table holds information about some asteroids whose orbits bring them so close to Earth that the impact cannot be ruled out. With recent findings, the Risk Impact Table no longer includes Apophis. Optical telescopes and ground radars help characterize every orbit of objects near Earth. As a result, scientists can improve long-term risk assessment. CNEOS calculated a high-precision orbit to support NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office. Apophis is no longer a threat to Earth. Opportunity to “follow” Apophis Apophis is the size of three soccer fields, weighing 27 million tons. If it collided with Earth, it would cause an explosion that was equivalent to 880 million tons of TNT. This power could destroy a country of mid-size. Its impact with the Earth will be 65,000 times stronger than the atomic bomb that once fell on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The impact hole it left could be 518m deep. To achieve new Apophis calculations, astronomers used 70 m radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California. As a result, they were able to accurately track Apophis’ movements. “Apophis used to be close to Earth, but it still has nearly 10.6 million miles (17 million km) to go. Despite this, we were able to obtain extremely accurate information about the distance of Apophis with an accuracy of about 150 m. This campaign helps us eliminate the impact of risk and a great scientific opportunity, ”said JPL scientist Marina Brozovic – who led the radar campaign. Goldstone also partnered with the 100-meter-long Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to allow Apophis to be photographed. Goldstone transmits while Green Bank receives – experiment that doubles the strength of the received signal. Although the Apophis radar image appears in pixels, the image has a resolution of 38.75 m per pixel. This is a remarkable resolution, considering whether the asteroid is 17 million kilometers away, or about 44 times the Earth-Moon distance. As the radar team analyzes more data, they also hope to learn more about the asteroid’s shape. Previous radar observations have shown that Apophis has a “double layer”, or peanut-like appearance. This is a relatively common shape among asteroids near Earth that are greater than 660 feet (200 m) in diameter. Astronomers are also working to better understand Apophis’ rotation speed and the asteroid axis orbit. On April 13, 2029, the Apophis asteroids will cross less than 20 thousand miles (32 thousand kilometers) from the surface to closer to Earth than the distance of geotechnical asynchronous satellites. On that close 2029 approach, terrestrial observers in the Eastern hemisphere could witness Apophis without the aid of a telescope or binoculars. This is also an unprecedented opportunity for astronomers to get a close-up look at a monument in the Solar System. In particular, now, Apophis is just a scientific curiosity, instead of a danger to our planet. “When I first started learning about asteroids after college, Apophis was a malformed child among dangerous asteroids,” said Mr. Farnocchia. There is a certain sense of satisfaction to see it removed from the list of risks. We are looking forward to knowledge that we can explore in its up-close by 2029 ”.