Brady Gannon
Artifact 2
Zoonotic diseases and re-emerging infectious diseases are a rising problem in the world today. Diseases transmitted from animal to human have been an issue for hundreds of years dating back to the Spanish flu in 1918 and the bubonic plague. Most emerging infectious diseases originate from animals and can be traced to an agent zero, one particular case or interaction with an animal to bring the disease from its reservoir species to the human population.
One example of an emerging infectious disease originating from an animal reservoir was the recent Ebola outbreak in western Africa. Investigators risked their lives tracking the disease down to patient 0, who had eaten a bat, a known reservoir species for the Ebola virus. This outbreak of Ebola in western Africa and the Zika outbreak in Brazil are a bigger deal than if one had broken out in the United States because of the state of poverty both countries are in. The living conditions in these countries are perfect for vectors for disease (i.e. mosquitos, bats etc.) and health care isn’t as readily available as it is in the United States. This makes for a perfect storm for an epidemic.
With the population dramatically increasing every day, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are becoming more and more of a problem in the world. Urbanization is spreading across the globe and does not only cause detrimental effects to the ecosystem and environment but also human health and overall well-being. With natural habitats being destroyed and fragmented, this increases the amount of forest edge in jungles and woodland environments. With the increase in forest edge, this drives the animals closer to the human population, increasing the likelihood that they interact with human beings and start the spread of a zoonotic disease. The risk of this is becoming higher and higher with the growth of the population.
Another issue about the emerging diseases is the apathetic attitude about preventing and treating them. Especially in America, if it does not affect our population there is little political effort to prevent the disease. Instead of waiting for it to happen, we should be proactive in our preparation for these deadly diseases and devote more money in creating vaccines and preventative measures for potentially dangerous emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Help Received:
Spillover Film
Beyond the Ebola Battle – Winning the War against Future Epidemics
Killer Viruses ppt