According to a study that was published in the Lancet Planet Health, reducing the likelihood that zoonotic viruses would infect humans is one of the most sensible things you can do to lessen the likelihood of another pandemic. The authors of the research paper “An immediate way to lower pandemic risk: (not) seizing the low-hanging fruit (bat)” published in Lancet Planet Health state that while Disease X is not specifically mentioned, major international and philanthropic organisations have made significant financial commitments to pandemic prevention, and as a result, their strategies have primarily focused on readiness and response rather than prevention.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified Disease X as a possible unknown disease that has the potential to cause a serious worldwide pandemic. COVID-19, the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, the Ebola and Marburg viruses, Lassa fever, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), nibaviral diseases, Rift Valley fever, Zika, and “Disease X” itself are currently the top illnesses. WHO updates and adds to this list on a regular basis, changing its methods as needed.
A study published in 2004 by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health states that out of 335 infections that developed between 1940 and 2004, 60% originated from animals, with wildlife accounting for 71% of these cases. According to the research article, there is a large but relatively limited pool of possible “unknown” pathogens, including those from which Disease X may emerge. It states that Pathogen X is most likely zoonotic in origin and that close observation of interfaces between people, animals, and the environment is essential to tracking its emergence.
In addition to stating that immediate action is necessary due to the urgency of the situation, the research paper published in Lancet Planet Health states that it will take time and resources to address the core causes of pandemics, which include protecting remaining forests, combating the commercial wildlife trade, enhancing biosecurity in livestock agriculture, and improving human health and economic stability.
It states that, although the authors do not specifically identify Disease X, humans must significantly minimise both direct and indirect contact with high-risk species, especially bats, which are known reservoirs for many zoonotic viruses, in order to lower the likelihood of another pandemic. The authors argue that since bats are a major source of zoonotic viruses and very few humans worldwide are impacted by their intake, concentrating on them is essential for effective upstream prevention of pandemics.
Reducing human-bat interactions involves four main areas of restriction: bat hunting, consumption, and trade; bat guano harvesting, use, and trade; cave tourism; and encroachment into bat habitats from activities such as deforestation for agriculture, homesteads, livestock, and mines. It states that although humans should be aware of the many environmental services that bats offer, such crop pollination and pest control, they should avoid actions that upset them and instead safeguard their habitats.
The authors argue that it is unproductive to blame wildlife for pandemics, when the real problem is human behaviour. Similar to the physical segregation recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic, immediate behavioural modifications are required to decrease contact with novel and possibly harmful infections.
Like other epidemics, SARS-CoV-2 most likely started with a bat virus. There are potential for disease transmission when different animal species are mixed together in marketplaces, whether this is done legally or not. The majority of attempts to stop the trade in wildlife have failed, which has led to the extinction of many species.
According to the authors, society must address the trade and consumption of animals in order to reduce the likelihood of pandemics in the future and their disastrous effects. They also note that bats are a taxonomic group from which humans may respectfully and with low inconvenience depart in order to preserve their ecological function. Communities impacted by behavioural shifts should get support and recompense.
The authors argue that it’s time for aggressive international action to create a prohibition on disturbing bats and let them live in their habitats unhindered. The authors argue that stopping pandemics at their source is the most equitable course of action for all of mankind, even though the precise risk reduction of such steps is unknown.
-Raja Aditya
