The World Health Organization has declared the 2019 novel Coronavirus a global health emergency is now an old story.
We are tired of the question that what causes the Coronavirus? 🔺
Experts believe it may
have originated from the Wuhan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan. The market,
which is now closed temporarily, sells seafood as well as domestic and wild
animals, including rats, wolf pups, snakes, squirrels, foxes, crocodiles, and
civets.
Chinese authorities placed a temporary ban on the wild animal trade in
the wake of the outbreak in efforts to contain the spread of the disease. Under
the ban, wildlife may not be transported or sold in any markets or online. Legal
breeding centers are also under quarantine. Authorities said that they will
severely investigate and punish anyone who breaches the ban. They set up a
hotline where people can report violations. The ban will remain until the
epidemic situation is lifted nationwide. A group of researchers from the
country's top science and health organizations and universities has called
upon. The government to crack down on these markets, which they say allows for
the spread of dangerous disease. And the thought is that the virus was in an
alive animal, then it crossed into a human. But then what we found was that
people were getting sick in terms of healthcare workers, in terms of family
members who were looking after them, which now meant that the virus can pass from
human to another human. Loopholes in China's laws on wildlife trade exacerbate
the risk. Enforcements on selling the meat of protected species and wild
animals is not that strict, according to Tian Jiang Ming of the Anti-Poaching
Squad. The volunteer-run group visits markets to report illegal wildlife sales.
Ming said that the vendors tend to hide illegal offerings in back freezers. Despite
restrictions, it is difficult to prosecute offenders without proof that the
animals have been poached. Many groups are calling for more on-site inspections and restrictions or a total ban on wild animal markets, siting them as hazardous to
human health. Christian Walzer, the executive director of the Wildlife
Conservation Society's health program believes there should be a global ban on
wild animal markets. According to Walzer, zoonotic diseases, human diseases originate
in other species account for a large share of infections. Mixing several
species of wild animals in an unregulated market increases the risk of diseases
mutating and spreading to humans. He told the Washington Post if these markets
persist and human consumption of illegal and unregulated wildlife persists, then
the public will continue to face heightened risks of emerging new viruses potentially
more lethal and the source of future pandemic spread.
Real
lab for coronavirus development
These markets are
perfect laboratories for creating opportunities for these viruses to emerge. Coronavirus
has spread quickly across the globe. As infected patients can transmit the
disease to 25% of the people they encounter, as the virus has a long incubation
period and it can take up to 10 days to show signs of infection. According to
the CDC, the US the most common symptoms include fever, cold, cough, muscle pain
and fatigue. CAT scans of the first 41 patients revealed and pneumonia and lung
abnormalities. While there's still much to understand about the Coronavirus, as
this virus is actually turned deadlier. The CDC estimates that there have been
up to 26 million flu infections and more than 25,000 deaths since last October.
The estimated basic reproduction number, shortened to R-Not, which represents
the average number of people who will catch the disease from a single infected
person. For Coronavirus, it's 2.5. Because the number is greater than one, it
means that the disease will keep spreading. However, experts say that this
number doesn't necessarily mean that people should panic. A higher number
doesn't necessarily mean a worse disease. The R-Not number for the flu hovers
at an average of 1.3, yet it infects millions every year. The R-Not number is an
estimate of potential transmissibility but it does not tell you how fast a
disease will spread. Additionally, some infected individuals may be
super-spreaders. A super-spreader may infect 100 people. While 50 people infect
no one. The Coronavirus is still in its early days.
Other
zoonotic diseases
Estimates are specific
to its spread throughout Wuhan. Numbers are only a measure of the disease's
potential. Other zoonotic diseases include the 2002 and 2003 outbreak of SARS, which
stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. SARS are becoming more aggressive.
The number of victims expected to triple within weeks. Despite government
assurances, it's under control, doctors are no longer willing to hide their
grave fears. The disease infected more than 8,000 people and caused 774 deaths.
It was traced to the consumption of wild animals in the southern Chinese city
of Gwuenzoo. SARS was linked to bats, which are known to harbor Coronaviruses.
Logic
But the species that
caused the 2019 novel Coronavirus remains unknown. Scientists have identified a
96.2 genetic similarity to a virus that afflicts bats and a 79.5% similarity to
the SARS virus. While experts first traced the origin of the Coronavirus outbreak
to the Wuhan seafood wholesale market, A description of the clinical cases published
in the lancet puts forth other possibilities. According to the report, the first
person to become ill was reported on December 1st And had no link to the market. 13 of the 41 cases that shortly followed, had no connection to the
market either. That's a big number, 13 with no link, said Daniel Lucey, an infection, disease specialist at the University of Georgetown. Reports from Chinese authorities
and the World Health Organization said the earliest case of onset symptoms occurred
on December 8th. They linked most cases to the seafood market. However, Lucey
explained that if this is true, the first human infections must have occurred
earlier due to the Corona Virus's incubation period. The scenario of somebody
being infected outside the market and then later bringing it to the market is
one of the three scenarios we've considered that is still consistent with the
data, said Christian Anderson, an evolutionary biologist at the Scripps
Research Institute in San Diego. It's entirely plausible given our current data
and knowledge. Experts are considering two other possibilities. A group of
infected animals or a single animal that came into the market place. Lucey
suggested that a retrospective analysis of blood from infected individuals as
well as animals may reveal Coronavirus's origin. The World Health Organization is
advising people to take cautionary steps to prevent the spread of the
Coronavirus. Frequently clean your hands by using an alcohol-based hand rub
product like a gel or wash your hands with soap and water. When coughing and
sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a flexed elbow like this or use a
tissue. To date, there are no known medicines to prevent Coronavirus. Specific
treatments are still being investigated.
So,
is eating other meat safe?
Not exactly. While the
Coronavirus likely originated from wild animal meat, livestock, meat such as
pork, beef and poultry also poses a number of risks to human health. Food-borne
illnesses such as E. coli, a type of bacteria that resides in the lower intestines
of warm-blooded animals, has been linked to undercooked ground meat products
and raw milk. In April 2019, an E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef sickened
209 people in 10 states. In September 2018, Cargill, which supplies 22% of the
U.S. domestic meat market recalled 136,606 pounds made from the chunk portion
of a cow carcass that may have been infected with E. coli. The CDC confirmed 18
cases in four states and one death. E. coli that originates from the fecal
matter of animals, can also contaminate produce if growing fields are close to
cattle or dairy operations or manure or composting facilities. So the 2018 E.
coli outbreak that contaminated romaine lettuce infecting 210 people in 36
states and killing five was likely caused by animal agriculture. In January
2020, another E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce infected 167 people in
20 states. Leafy greens such as lettuce can become contaminated in the field by
soil, contaminated water, animals, or improperly composted manure. Other raw
fruits and vegetables that have come into contact with feces from infected
animals are other common sources of infection. Salmonella, a bacterial infection
that affects the intestinal tract also spreads through animal products. In 2019
the CDC linked minor outbreaks to ground beef, frozen tuna, and ground turkey. In
2018 salmonella cases were linked to ground turkey and beef, eggs, and chicken. It's
not only connected to factory farming. Cases were also linked to backyard
poultry operations.
Diseases
like Coronavirus
Like the Coronavirus
and SARS, some other diseases spread from animals to humans, such as bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, better known as Mad Cow Disease. In the 1980s and again in the
2002s, Mad Cow Disease made headlines known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in
humans. The fatal degenerative brain disease was linked to cattle that were fed
sheep remains infected by scrapie. Animals sold in wildlife markets and factory
farms are confined in close quarters, with little room to move or engage in
natural behaviors. They often have no choice but to stand in their own feces, increasing
the risk for the disease to spread. Not only does meat pose a risk for infection, but
it also has other health consequences. When heavy rain occurs, factory farm
animal waste overflows from containment lagoons and can seep into local water
supplies and croplands. Manure from lagoons releases air pollutants, including methane and hydrogen sulfide, which the National Institute for Occupational
Safety sights as a leading cause of death. Factory farm workers are routinely
exposed to harmful gases and particulate matter. And health effects include respiratory
illnesses such as asthma and acute bronchitis, chronic pain, cardiovascular complications
and early death. Studies have shown an increase in a number of health issues for
people living near factory farms; including increased risk of respiratory and
nervous system illnesses, heart disease, metabolic disorders and reproductive
damage. As disease crises and health issues continue to surface, the need to address
the treatment of animals is paramount. A global shift away from animal meat could
save countless lives.
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