Why are more and more new viruses threatening humans?

Population explosion, climate change, deforestation are the causes of humanity facing new dangerous viruses such as Zika, MERS and SARS.

Zika, Ebola Virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Nipah virus, Hendra virus, bird flu, swine flu are diseases that have attracted national attention. in recent years. Over the past few decades, the world has witnessed an alarming surge of new infectious diseases. Since 1980, on average every three years people face new pathogens.

One could argue that these epidemics are actually not new, they have existed in human society for centuries but have only recently been known for scientific progress. This is only true in some cases. In other words, new pathogens are actually increasing.

A baby with small head disease caused by Zika virus.(Photo: Mario Tama).

Explaining this phenomenon, The Huffinton Post offers the following reasons.

Overpopulation

The phrase "born like a rabbit" should probably be changed to "giving birth like a human" because no animal in the world can match humans in terms of reproductive speed. The more population grows, the less available land is and the more people have to live in crowded urban environments, the ideal conditions for disease agents to appear and spread.

Tourism development

Long trips increase the risk of infection and transport pathogens from one place to another.

Climate Change

Numerous diseases are transmitted through insects including mosquitoes, mites and spiders. The life cycle of a pathogenic vector depends on climate factors and climate change that helps some species such as mosquitoes thrive. Warm temperatures shorten the viral incubation period, promote the maturation of mosquito larvae as well as increase the frequency of feeding of adult mosquitoes. Since then, humanity is prone to diseases that are typical of Zika.

Deforestation

Cutting down trees causes soil to store rainwater, creating a favorable environment for mosquitoes.Lyme disease is tending to increase by people who encroach on forests. Nipah virus is a newly discovered pathogen, causing health concerns because it can be quickly transmitted from animals (such as pigs) to humans and leads to death.

Trade wildlife and produce animal food

2/3 of new diseases come from animals. As the demand for meat, skin and other animal-related pleasures increases, our risk of infection also increases.

The more we go into the deep forest to catch animals, the more likely we are to face individuals with new viruses. Although it is unclear exactly how humans have been exposed to Zika, the scientific community confirmed that the virus was first discovered in brown monkeys.

Worse, wild animals are transferred from one place to another or are brutally killed, enabling pathogens to grow and attack humans. This is the reason why SARS outbreaks. Scientists believe that the SARS virus is inherent in fruit bats.

Due to the trading process, bats come into contact with cats in Guangdong (China). SARS from bats is transferred to cats and transmitted to humans. By creating sick animals, we put ourselves in danger.

Besides, animal breeding is the ideal environment for viruses, bacteria and parasites.

Every time a new epidemic breaks out, we follow the familiar pattern: panic, wonder why this happens, race to create new drugs, breathe a sigh of relief when the epidemic passes and continue behaviors that contribute to disease. Don't forget that drugs and vaccines are just a temporary measure. In particular, the vaccine may promote the evolution of the virus leading to drug-resistant strains.

Unless we have a tougher view of our lifestyle, new diseases will continue to appear. Like Dr. Dan Baush, from Tulan School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said: "Every known virus has hundreds of types that we cannot identify. Out there exists a lot. diseases".