“It turns out prevention really is the best medicine. We estimate we could greatly reduce the likelihood of another pandemic occuring by investing as little as 1/20th of the losses incurred so far from COVID into [wildlife and rainforest] conservation measures designed to help stop the spread of these viruses from wildlife to humans in the first place.” writes Professor Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke University.
Tag Archives: zoonotic disease
UN report says up to 850,000 animal viruses could be caught by humans, unless we protect nature
Human damage to biodiversity is leading us into a pandemic era. The virus that causes COVID-19, for example, is linked to similar viruses in bats, which may have been passed to humans via pangolins or another species.
What is causing the latest outbreak of Ebola in Uganda?
The answers to preventing future zoonotic diseases are staring us right in the face: we should stop eating animals and consuming animal products and we should stop destroying rainforests for palm oil, soy and other crops! Many research papers and books have been written about the connection between the relentless capitalist growth imperative of multinationalContinue reading “What is causing the latest outbreak of Ebola in Uganda?”
Why Peanut Butter Might Trigger the Next Pandemic
Palm oil is found in roughly 50 percent of packaged household products ranging from peanut butter to lipstick. Now, researchers link its harvesting to disease outbreaks that could spread to humans. This is the first study to examine the cause-and-effect relationship between changes in forest cover and subsequent disease outbreaks on a global scale.
How deforestation helps deadly viruses jump from animals to humans
Amy Y. Vittor, University of Florida; Gabriel Zorello Laporta, Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, and Maria Anice Mureb Sallum, Universidade de São Paulo Many pandemics originate from wildlife that jumps from animal to human. These leaps often happen at the edges of the world’s tropical forests, where deforestation is increasingly bringing people into contact withContinue reading “How deforestation helps deadly viruses jump from animals to humans”
2021 Research: Outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases are linked to changes in forest cover and palm oil global expansion
Deforestation is a major cause of biodiversity loss with a negative impact on human health. Outbreaks of vector-borne diseases such as COVID-19 are associated with increases in areas of palm oil plantations. A major 2021 study in Frontiers in Veterinary Science examined whether global scale loss and gain of forest cover and the rise ofContinue reading “2021 Research: Outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases are linked to changes in forest cover and palm oil global expansion”
Palm Oil Detectives 