The novel coronavirus is “totally consistent with a jump of a species from an animal to a human,” to put it in the words of NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci. But how and where, exactly, did the jump occur? The latest episode of the I AM BIO Podcast explores the “deeper, disturbing truth about the pandemic’s origin” with a fascinating expert on zoonotic disease.
First: What’s a zoonotic disease? A disease that jumps from animals to people due to things like the speed of population growth, the disruption to natural habitats, and the “disregard we’re showing for wild animals not meant to be captured, caged, and eaten,” said BIO President & CEO Jim Greenwood.
And now, 75% of infectious diseases are linked back to animals—and they’re increasing. “As we expand our frontiers, we’re exposed to more of these viruses…in nature,” said Dr. William Karesh of the EcoHealth Alliance, a world-renowned expert on zoonotic disease transmission.
Do we know if COVID-19 came from a bat for sure? Yes. Dr. Karesh explains where scientists have found similar SARS viruses in bats—and how humans have much more contact with bats in the wild than we realize.
And between .5% to 3% of people tested already have antibodies to this group of viruses—which means “these bat viruses are getting into people all the time,” he continued. It’s just that most don’t travel or cause serious illness.
He sets the facts straight on bats and this virus—explaining how the coronavirus might have gotten into humans, why we actually need bats for agriculture and sustainable forestry, and why illegal wildlife trade is a problem even in the United States. (You’ll never believe what customs inspectors have found in the mail.)
He also talks about how we can reduce the threat of zoonotic disease in the future, and as you probably already guessed, One Health—exploring the links between people, animals, and the environment—is key.
The bottom line: “COVID could be just the tip of the iceberg in a new infectious era if humanity doesn’t wake up to the gravity of this threat and resolve to change our ways,” said Jim. Luckily, Dr. Karesh has some ideas about what we can do next.
Listen to the podcast at www.bio.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts including Apple, Google, and Spotify.
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