What we have experienced (and what we have left to live) with respect to SARS-CoV-2 seems that it could be repeated in the more or less near future if we take into account the 500,000 viruses of animal origin that have been discovered as a result of a study in which the threat that humanity can suffer when coming into contact with wild animals has been analyzed.
There are 500,000 viruses of animal origin that could cause a new pandemic
We know that SARS-CoV-2 , as well as Ebola, HIV and MERS that appeared in recent years are diseases of wildlife that are later transmitted to humans , but the truth is that they are not the only ones that we can suffer or that we should fear. A 10-year study has identified a staggering number of viruses that could cause the next pandemic.
At least for now, all the studies and research done suggest that the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is that of animals. According to experts, the disease of origin would belong to bats , later it would have been transmitted to humanity perhaps by pangolins.
We have known for many decades that zoonotic diseases exist but the covid has taken us so by surprise that it reveals our inability to face such complex situations. Not only that, it showed us how closely our health is related to that of the animals we might come in contact with.
” This pandemic is just a tragic wake-up call, ” said Dr. Jonna Mazet, an epidemiologist at the University of California. Mazet led the US-initiated $ 207 million PREDICT project to study and gain a comprehensive picture of the risks posed by wild animals .
The project, which started in 2009 and ended in 2019, collected several samples of blood, saliva and manure from animals in the forests of 30 countries and in fact more than 940 species of viruses were identified that, apart from the 160 of coronavirus, they had never been detected before.
” We estimate that there are still around 500,000 viruses that could infect people, not yet detected by science, ” added Mazet . Clearly, not all of them would be as serious as those already listed, but many others could be .
Deforestation, hunting and agricultural activities that invade areas rich in wildlife , according to Mazet, are all attitudes that could harm us and cause a new pandemic in the future. However, these are actions that are difficult to counteract without the help of governments interested in the issue , so we only have to wait and see how they will mobilize around the world to prevent the next pandemics that we could end up suffering.
