Ah, 2020? Are you nostalgic already for those far off days of masks, empty streets and ballooning Government Deficits? Don’t worry. Covid-19 was just a curtain raiser, an early premonition. Another pandemic is coming very soon. Recently, Nature Briefings has run two st,ories suggesting two hitherto-unexpected sources

A Far-away Fur Farm?

One of the largest studies of viruses harboured by fur animals in China finds a broad array of potential pathogens — including new ones and known ones found in new hosts. For instance, they found the Japanese encephalitis virus in guinea pigs and norovirus in mink. The study highlights the risks of fur farms becoming a bridge between people and the viruses circulating in wildlife, says virologist Eddie Holmes. “This is how pandemics happen.”Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Nature paper

Arctic Agony?

“The Arctic is likely to become a hotbed for zoonotic diseases that spill over into humans from other animals,” argues Arctic ecoscientist Christian Sonne. The natural balance is being upset by pollutants, invasive pathogens and melting ice, and ancient microorganisms are also being released as the landscape thaws. He calls for a ‘One Health’ approach that integrates an understanding of the effects on wildlife, humans and ecosystems. For example, food-safety efforts and better disease surveillance could help reduce the risk of spillover events in places where meat is processed by subsistence-hunting communities.Nature | 5 min read

Once one of these organisms gets out from its natural habitat, it will start to breed very, very quickly indeed, as we saw with SARS-Cov-2. The world is a very small place now-you can get almost anywhere in 24 hours. And the overcrowded, air conditioned plane which you will use is an almost perfect breeding ground for spreading micro-organisms. Soon, the things you are thinking about now may just be distant memories.

#pandemic #medicine #health # #norovirus #pollution #global warming #covid-19