More and more viruses will spread from animals to humans

Proven content

Professor Sarah Gilbert, the undisputed brains behind the COVID-19 vaccine team, says population growth, combined with our propensity to travel far and wide, will increase the risk of new zoonotic outbreaks. And all this for the near future.

1. Industrial farming and deforestation bring animals not only closer to each other, but also to people
2. Intercontinental travel and the increasing population of the Earth are facilitating the development of viruses
3. A zoonotic disease is a disease that can be transmitted from a vertebrate animal, such as a mammal, bird, reptile, or fish, to a human.

COVID-19 is the most infectious and deadly zoonotic disease

Animals, including wild ones, now live in our close neighborhood. And intensive farming and progressive deforestation contribute to the spread of zoonoses. According to Professor Gilbert, the coronavirus pandemic has shown how intercontinental travel fosters the spread of viruses. Additionally, in large populations it is more difficult to eradicate them.

The origin of COVID-19 has yet to be finally clarified, but scientists agree that bats were the carriers. From them, the virus spread to another animal, which then infected humans. Professor Gilbert, a vaccinologist at Oxford’s Jenner Institute, said in an interview with The Independent: “Due to the global situation, we will most likely be infected with animals in the future. Zoonoses will start causing epidemics. Increased population density, more travel, deforestation all increase the likelihood of an outbreak ».

Already, COVID-19 is the most infectious and deadly zoonotic disease. It cost 850 thousand. people and infected over 25 million. But there are others, such as Ebola, which has passed from monkeys, MERS, identified in camels, the West Nile virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes, and rabies that occurs mainly in dogs. Two million people die from zoonoses every year, mainly living in poor countries.

See also: Scientists have discovered six previously unknown coronaviruses. Their carriers are bats

Destruction of natural habitats for wild animals, global warming, hunting and trade in exotic species favor zoonoses

The July UN report warned that the number of zoonotic infections would increase unless mankind took up work to protect nature. The lead author of this report, Professor Delia Randolph, a veterinary epidemiologist, writes that since the 75s there has been a “very clear trend” which shows that XNUMX% of human emerging diseases comes from wildlife. Destruction of natural habitats forces animals to move closer to human habitation, increasing the risk of contamination.

Another factor influencing the development of zoonoses is climate change. Extreme weather events such as floods are becoming more common around the world, driving fauna out of its natural habitat. In Madagascar, for example, bubonic plague is carried by rodents fleeing the fires that are increasingly affecting the area.

According to UNEP (the UN agency established to carry out activities in the field of environmental protection), human activity also destroys natural barriers protecting it against pathogens. The main route of transmission of pathogens to humans is by hunting and eating meat from wild animals. Illegal trade in exotic species could end up with humans, including bats. Snakes, beavers, porcupines, and small crocodiles were among the species sold in bulk at the Wuhan market, which we consider to be the primary outbreak of COVID-19.

So far, we do not know if the disease actually came from there. Scientists investigating the cause of the outbreak have found no evidence of this. Some suspect that the virus accidentally spilled out of a biochemistry lab in Wuhan. This theory was fueled by President Trump himself, announcing that he had received evidence from the American intelligence confirming this fact.

Zobacz: Why are zoonotic viruses dangerous to humans? Scientists explain

Next year, we should have several effective and safe vaccines for the coronavirus

Professor Gilbert has made it public that the results of a vaccine test for COVID-19 (called AZD1222) by her team are about to undergo regulatory procedures. Scientists are currently awaiting the results of the third phase of testing. The studies give the vaccine to tens of thousands of volunteers in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and the US. If the effectiveness is proven, there is hope that the product will enter the market at the end of the year.

A pharmaceutical company with which scientists from Oxford are working has pledged to produce two billion doses by the summer of 2021.

Work on vaccines in the world is at a similar stage. According to Professor Gilbert, there is a “very good chance” that some will be successful.

“With several vaccines, we have seen adequate levels of neutralizing antibodies and a strong T-cell response. Based on this, we assume that they will work. I expect the world to have several different vaccines soon, says Prof. Gilbert.

What are zoonoses?

1. Zoonoses are passed from vertebrate animals such as mammals, fish, birds, and reptiles to humans.
2. In these diseases, the infectious agent, or pathogen, is able to cross the species boundary and survive.
3. Zoonoses have different potencies. They are often less dangerous in one species than in another. They spread through direct contact.

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