In 2018, an article published in Frontiers in Microbiology magazine predicted the emergence of new coronaviruses in Asia, a region of the world that suffers from a multitude of environmental pressures such as deforestation and habitat fragmentation. Along the same lines, more and more scientists are denouncing the relationship between the human invasion of the spaces that wildlife habitually occupies with the emergence of new infectious diseases.
The Global Virome Project , an initiative that seeks to understand the global diversity of viruses on Earth, estimates that around 1.6 million unknown viruses circulate in wildlife, and half of them have zoonotic potential . In other words, the virus causing the next pandemic already exists, and the greater the contact between man and livestock with wildlife, the greater the chances it will have of making that dreaded leap between species and causing a new infectious disease.
Preventing pandemics at the source is a new coalition formed by various entities and experts in health and the environment that aims to alert society to this problem and carry out preventive measures that can prevent future pandemics like the one that currently plagues us. It includes environmental organizations such as WWF and Conservation International, as well as medical research organizations such as the Harvard Institute for Global Health.
“Between 1940 and 2004, more than 335 outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases have been reported worldwide, more than fifty per decade. Due to the breakdown of our relationship with nature, the rate of outbreaks is increasing and, in a globalized world like ours, it is more likely that in the coming years these outbreaks will turn into epidemics and pandemics “, explain those responsible for the new consortium. “ What is even more concerning is that while our current situation is dire, it could have been much worse. COVID-19 is highly communicable but has a much lower death rate compared to other viruses. The next one could be highly transmissible and virulent, which would generate an immediate existential threat for a large part of humanity, according to experts predicted ”.
Concrete measures to avoid future pandemics
The Preventing pandemics at the source proposal includes, firstly, locating specific areas of the globe where it is estimated that there are possibilities of new outbreaks and promoting dialogue between sectors that are habitually disconnected: health, environment, agriculture, food and nutrition to achieve coordinated actions aimed at preventing future highly damaging epidemics. By including political representatives, local organizations and interdisciplinary teams in its working groups, the coalition intends that these proposals become effective measures that really achieve a change in management that reduces the risks of zoonoses.
“We have to realize that this pandemic is not something that is simply happening to us, but that we have helped create by not taking into account the strong relationship between our health and the health of nature. After COVID-19 we should learn from our mistakes and recognize humanity’s dependence on the natural systems that sustain us ”.
