Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images
Date of Publication: July 6, 2020
Source: The Guardian
According to a UN report, diseases are expected to jump from animals to humans in the following years due to the destruction of nature and growing demands for meat. Prior to COVID-19, two million per year died from zoonotic diseases, largely in lower income countries.
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been centered in the medical challenge and economic impact, “But its origins are in the environment, food systems and animal health. This is a lot like having somebody sick and treating only the symptoms and not treating the underlying cause, and there are many other zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential,” highlights Professor Delia Grace, the lead author of the report by the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and the International Livestock Research Institute (Ilri). The UN report highlights the need for governments to address destruction of nature to prevent future pandemics.
UN environment chief, Inger Andersen, highlights “At the heart of our response to zoonoses and the other challenges humanity faces should be the simple idea that the health of humanity depends on the health of the planet and the health of other species.”
Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/06/coronavirus-world-treating-symptoms-not-cause-pandemics-un-report
Summary by: Jayoti Rana