segunda-feira, 6 de abril de 2020

Covid-19"is the pandemic we deserve—not morally but ecologically"


Below an extract of an interesting article by the senior vice president and provost at the University of Oklahoma that was published today. 

“The human disease pool is a product of ecology and evolution. There are some 300-400 major identified species of human pathogens. Compared with chimpanzees, our closest surviving relative, humanity’s germs are numerous, nasty, and unusually focused on exploiting us. The distinct human disease pool is a result of our distinct history—of the particular ways that we as a species have reshaped ecological conditions on Earth and made ourselves an unusually attractive target as a host for microbial parasites…For example, the reason humans have so many gastrointestinal diseases is because, about 12,000 years ago, we started living in permanent agglomerated settlements and were therefore surrounded by our own waste, not to mention the waste of our animals, which are full of pathogens transmitted by the fecal-oral route. The reason humans have so many respiratory diseases is because we have the massive population numbers and sheer density to support pathogens whose strategy is to pass from lung to lung….The Anthropocene has been facilitated and defined by humanity’s efforts to disinfect the planet—to make it comfortably habitable for humans. We live in highly artificial environments that are, more than we usually pause to think, constructed precisely to keep our germs at bay. Our built environments, our management of food and water and waste, our physical routines and chemical regimes—all are anti-pathogenic. This pattern creates intense countervailing pressures. The global population is sprinting toward 8 billion. We encroach more than ever on the natural habitats and wild animals that are the reservoir of potential source of new diseases. We are more interconnected than ever. The interface between our species and our possible parasites is wider than at any time in the human past. The incentive for microbes to exploit humans has never been greater, yet our tools to combat them are more powerful than ever…The new virus has just the right properties to exploit our vulnerabilities. It is a respiratory virus with a long incubation period, insidious transmission, and asymptomatic carriage. It is highly contagious. We had no vaccine ready. It is the pandemic we deserve—not morally but ecologically.https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/06/coronavirus-is-accelerating-history-past-the-breaking-point/