Coronavirus Shines Light on Zoos as Danger Zones for Deadly Disease Transmission Between Humans and Animals
03 August
Insights + Opinion
An elephant at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. In Defense of Animals
By Marilyn Kroplick
The term "zoonotic disease" wasn't a hot topic of conversation before the novel coronavirus started spreading across the globe and upending lives. Now, people are discovering how devastating viruses that transfer from animals to humans can be. But the threat can go both ways — animals can also get sick from humans. There is no better time to reconsider the repercussions of keeping animals captive at zoos, for the sake of everyone's health.
<p>COVID-19, the illness that's caused by the novel coronavirus, is the result of human contact with animals, though the exact source remains a subject of debate. The risk of such zoonotic disease transmission drastically increases in any setting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/08/human-impact-on-wildlife-to-blame-for-spread-of-viruses-says-study-aoe" target="_blank">where wild animals are confined</a><a href="http://theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/08/human-impact-on-wildlife-to-blame-for-spread-of-viruses-says-study-aoe" target="_blank"> in close proximity to humans</a>, including public display facilities like zoos. Unfortunately, the risks posed by zoonotic transmission go beyond COVID-19. A recent <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/uoc-asa041320.php" target="_blank">study</a> found that more than 40 percent of zoo animals in Spain were infected with a parasite that can be passed to humans and causes a disease known as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/gen_info/faqs.html" target="_blank">toxoplasmosis</a>, which can lead to damage to the brain, eyes and other organs in human beings. Across the U.S., another dangerous zoonotic disease has long been lurking in our midst at zoos: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm" target="_blank">tuberculosis</a> (TB).</p>
<p>TB is a deadly, highly infectious disease that has long existed in captive populations of African and Asian <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/elephants">elephants</a> in zoos and circuses across the U.S. According to the World Health Organization, TB is one of the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis" target="_blank">top ten </a>causes of death worldwide, killing millions of people each year. Although TB rates have been on the decline for decades in the U.S., captive elephants represent a persistent <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2015/03/elephant-tuberculosis-epidemic-zoo-and-circus-animals-passing-tb-to-humans-and-one-another.html" target="_blank">reservoir</a> of the virus. Incredibly, "licensees and registrants who own elephants" are <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa_2015/sa_10/ct_elephant_tb_policy" target="_blank">not required</a> to test elephants for the virus. Even if they were, these tests, known as "trunk washes," are difficult to conduct and can be unreliable. This means that zoos may be bringing the unsuspecting public into contact with infected elephants. Because TB is no longer common in the U.S., children are not vaccinated against it, making them particularly susceptible.</p>
<p>The risk of elephants transmitting TB to humans is generally greater among those who work closely with elephants, though it is thought that TB can spread from elephants to humans <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166032/" target="_blank">through air</a> also. The risk of wider contagion, especially to zoo guests, is therefore a possibility. Many zoo exhibits bring people through indoor barns where elephants spend much of their time, separated only by bars and a few feet of space. Even more intimate encounters, such as rides or feedings that enable people to come into direct physical contact with elephants, are particularly concerning given their amplified transmission opportunities.</p><p>TB has long been known as a <a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/02/19/dont-think-about-contagious-elephants-whose-job-is-it-to-combat-and-contain-tuberculosis/" target="_blank">potentially serious issue in U.S. zoos</a>. Many people have been infected over the years, including, as recently as 2019. In 2013, seven staff members were <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/health/2016/01/officials_identify_tuberculosi.html" target="_blank">infected</a> at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, following an outbreak among three bull elephants. Elephant infections persisted there into <a href="https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/07/10/pregnant-asian-elephant-at-oregon-zoo-may-have-tuberculosis/#:~:text=The%20Oregon%20Zoo%20announced%20today,Chendra%20as%20potentially%20having%20TB." target="_blank">2019</a>. Also, last year, some staff members <a href="https://www.pdza.org/connect/newsroom/press-releases/staff-test-positive-for-latent-tuberculosis/" target="_blank">tested positive</a> for latent TB at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. Both the Bronx Zoo in New York City and the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri also have had elephants test positive in recent years.</p>
<p>The threat of deadly disease transmission, however, does not only affect humans. In a process called <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3938448/" target="_blank">reverse zoonosis</a>, diseases such as influenza A virus, herpes simplex 1, measles and methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (MRSA) have been documented as passing from humans to animals. Regarding TB, <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9ztj4ls" target="_blank">studies have shown</a> that the causative agent that leads to human infection of TB is also present in elephants, suggesting a reverse zoonosis of the disease from humans to elephants. This opens the possibility that humans could actually be the <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9ztj4ls" target="_blank">cause</a> of TB infections in captive elephants.</p><p>Another incident of reverse zoonosis occurred at the Bronx Zoo recently. In April 2020 the zoo announced that one of its tigers <a href="https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14010/A-Tiger-at-Bronx-Zoo-Tests-Positive-for-COVID-19-The-Tiger-and-the-Zoos-Other-Cats-Are-Doing-Well-at-This-Time.aspx" target="_blank">tested positive</a> for COVID-19. While no other cats were tested, the tiger's sister, along with two other tigers and three African lions, developed symptoms including a dry cough, suggesting they might have also been infected.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons that zoos can be hotbeds for deadly disease transmission — which threatens elephants, tigers and other captive animals as well as human beings — is that captive animals can suffer from compromised immune systems due to the confines of captivity, rendering them more susceptible to illness. In many facilities, tigers and elephants are often held in cramped enclosures that bear little resemblance to their natural wild habitats. They can be forced to perform or interact with the public on a daily basis or endure living in solitary confinement. The Bronx Zoo, for example, has forced an elephant named Happy to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/nyregion/bronx-zoo-elephant-lawsuit-happy.html" target="_blank">live alone</a> since 2006, a crushing sentence for a highly social species. These types of living conditions can cause a range of physical and psychological ailments, which have been <a href="https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/10-worst-zoos/" target="_blank">well documented</a>. Captive elephants tend to live shortened lifespans in contrast to those in the wild and suffer from diseases and conditions virtually unseen in the wild. The cumulative effect of these factors renders elephants prone to the TB contagion.</p>
<p>The fact that TB has continued to infect captive elephant populations in the U.S. for decades reveals the extent to which zoos are incapable of providing adequate living conditions to prevent the spread of this disease, despite their best efforts. While zoos and their supporters continue to argue that keeping animals captive is necessary to raise awareness and get people to care about them, seeing animals trapped in unnatural environments that prevent them from thriving doesn't do anything to teach us about how they live or how they should be recognized, respected and protected in the wild.</p><p>We can hope that the world will soon return to some semblance of normalcy, but if this pandemic has taught us anything, it's that we can't continue with business as usual when it comes to our relationship with wildlife and the environment — at least not if we want to survive. In the meantime, we can protect captive animals and ourselves by avoiding zoos.</p>
<p><em>Marilyn Kroplick is the president of <a href="https://www.idausa.org/" target="_blank">In Defense of Animals</a></em><em>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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A Swine Flu in China Is Spreading to Humans With 'Pandemic Potential,' Scientists Warn
30 June
Health + Wellness
Piglets at a pig farm on May 12, 2020 in Bijie, Guizhou Province of China. Deng Gang / VCG via Getty Images
Scientists in China have identified a strain of H1N1 that is rapidly spreading amongst workers in the country's pig farms. They warn that the fast spreading strain of swine flu has pandemic potential, if it is not contained quickly, according to The New York Times.
<p>An outbreak of H1N1 caused widespread fear in 2009 when it killed 285,000 people around the world. The new strain is a derivative of H1N1, according to the scientists who published a paper on it on Monday in the scientific journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/06/23/1921186117#fn-group-1" target="_blank">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> (PNAS).</p><p>The disease, which researchers called the G4 virus, now shows "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus," said the study, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/asia/china-swine-flu-pandemic-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p>
<p>The researchers say that the disease is not yet an immediate problem, but they noted that pig farm workers also showed elevated levels of the virus in their blood, and that "close monitoring in human populations, especially the workers in the swine industry, should be urgently implemented," as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-pigs/chinese-researchers-warn-of-new-virus-in-pigs-with-human-pandemic-risk-idUSKBN2410BU?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwAR0Du67qns-96PMAxQR78rH21UgWcutdgvhFsNQ4YA_8-rv0w2eKO_DcWFw&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported.</p><p>Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University's public health school, urged the public to remain calm and not "freak out," according to CNN.</p><p>"Our understanding of what is a potential pandemic influenza strain is limited," she posted on <a href="https://twitter.com/angie_rasmussen/status/1277740973087326213" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. "Sure, this virus meets a lot of the basic criteria but it's not for sure going to cause a hypothetical 2020 flu pandemic, or even be a dominant strain in humans."</p>
<p>Chinese researchers based at several institutions, including Shandong Agricultural University and the Chinese National Influenza Center, discovered the G4 virus during a pig surveillance program, according to CNN. Over a seven-year span, from 2011 to 2018, the researchers took more than 30,000 nasal swab samples from pigs in slaughterhouses and veterinary teaching hospitals across 10 Chinese provinces.</p><p>Those samples revealed 179 swine influenza viruses, but only a fraction of them posed any concern to the researchers, as several only showed up in a single year while others declined to non-threatening levels.</p><p>The strain in question though, G4 EA H1N1, has been common on China's pig farms since 2016 and replicates efficiently in human airways, according to the study. So far, it has infected some people without causing disease, but health experts worry that means the virus is lurking and mutating into something different and a sudden change can happen without warning, according to The New York Times.</p>
<p>Recent evidence "indicates that G4 EA H1N1 virus is a growing problem in pig farms, and the widespread circulation of G4 viruses in pigs inevitably increases their exposure to humans," the study said.</p><p>In the last three years of the study, researchers collected blood samples from workers on various pig farms and from people in nearby households. The study found that 10.4 percent of the workers and 4.4 percent of the others tested positive for G4 EA H1N1, and that 20.5 percent of workers between the ages of 18 and 35 tested positive for the virus, as The New York Times reported.</p>
<p>"It may be that with further change in the virus it could become more aggressive in people much as SARS-CoV-2 has done," said Ian H. Brown, the head of the virology department at Britain's Animal and Plant Health Agency and one of two scientists who reviewed the paper before it was published, in an email to The New York Times.</p><p>The good news is that there is no evidence yet that G4 could spread from person to person, the most promising sign so far, according to Carl Bergstrom, a professor of biology at the University of Washington who spoke to CNN.</p><p>"This is not a *new* new virus; it's been very common in pigs since 2016," he wrote on <a href="https://twitter.com/CT_Bergstrom/status/1277740955651588096" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. "There's no evidence that G4 is circulating in humans, despite five years of extensive exposure. That's the key context to keep in mind."</p>
<p>Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily news conference on Tuesday that China was closely following developments. "We will take all necessary measures to prevent the spread and outbreak of any virus," he said, as Reuters reported.</p><p>Whether or not the virus does spread in humans remains to be seen, but it is a reminder that our <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/factory-farming">animal farming</a> practices increase our susceptibility to animal diseases.</p><p>"Pig farming is a massive industry in China and pigs can be important hosts from which novel influenza viruses may emerge," said James Wood, head of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/asia/china-swine-flu-pandemic-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. He added that the study was a "salutary reminder that we are constantly at risk of new emergence of zoonotic pathogens and that farmed animals, with which humans have greater contact than with wildlife, may act as the source for important pandemic viruses."</p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
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$89
CBDistillery
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$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
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Destruction of Nature Is Triggering Pandemics, Say Leaders of WWF, UN and WHO
17 June
Health + Wellness
Deforestation and wildlife habitat loss in Uganda. Ron Waddington / CC BY-SA 2.0
Leaders from three international NGOs — the United Nations, the World Health Organization and WWF International — teamed up to issue a stark warning that pandemics like the coronavirus are a direct result of the destruction of nature caused by humans.
<p>In an op-ed published by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/17/coronavirus-warning-broken-relationship-nature" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, top figures from each organization argued that the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a> trade, coupled with the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation">destruction of forests</a> and other habitats for wildlife, is causing a large number of animal diseases to migrate to human hosts.</p><p>The op-ed was written by Marco Lambertini, director general of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International; Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity; Maria Neira, director of the World Health Organization department of environment, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> and health.</p>
<p>In their call to action ahead of the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/article/Summit-on-Biodiversity-2020" target="_blank">UN biodiversity summit in September</a>, the three senior representatives cited examples from prior incidents of environmental destruction that triggered new viruses in humans.</p><p>"We have seen many diseases emerge over the years — such as Zika, AIDS, SARS and Ebola — and although they are quite different at first glance, they all originated from animal populations under conditions of severe environmental pressures," they wrote, adding those examples "all illustrate that our destructive behavior toward nature is endangering our own health."</p><p>As <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/17/coronavirus-live-updates-us/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> noted, the novel coronavirus that has led to a global pandemic likely started in a bat — the same host that was also linked to SARS, Ebola and MERS, among other viruses.</p>
<p>The three authors call for a green and healthy recovery in the wake of COVID-19. They note the importance of ending farming practices that destroy nature and the need to reform <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/meat-consumption">meat-intensive diets</a>. And yet, they're watching the world go the wrong way.</p><p>"Worryingly, while COVID-19 has given us yet another reason to protect and preserve nature, we have actually seen the reverse take place," the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/17/coronavirus-warning-broken-relationship-nature" target="_blank">authors write</a>. "From the Greater Mekong to the Amazon and Madagascar, alarming reports have emerged of increased poaching, illegal logging and forest fires, while many countries are engaging in hasty environmental rollbacks and cuts in funding for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation">conservation</a>. This all comes at a time when we need it most."</p>
<p>A <a href="http://panda.org/pandemics" target="_blank">WWF report</a> titled <em>COVID 19: urgent call to protect people and nature</em> was also published Wednesday. It warns: "The risk of a new [wildlife-to-human] disease emerging in the future is higher than ever, with the potential to wreak havoc on health, economies and global security," as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/17/pandemics-destruction-nature-un-who-legislation-trade-green-recovery" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.oceanographicmagazine.com/news/wwf-urgent-global-action/" target="_blank">Oceanographic Magazine</a> reports, the <a href="http://panda.org/pandemics" target="_blank">WWF report</a> shows that 60 to 70 percent of new diseases since 1990 started in wildlife. During the same time period, an area of forests measuring roughly seven times the area of the UK has been destroyed.</p><p>"We must urgently recognize the links between the destruction of nature and human health, or we will soon see the next pandemic," said Lambertini, in a WWF <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?364416/Conditions-are-rife-for-next-pandemic-unless-urgent-action-is-taken-WWF-warns" target="_blank">press release</a> that accompanied the new report. "There is no debate, and the science is clear; we must work with nature, not against it. Unsustainable exploitation of nature has become an enormous risk to us all."</p>
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Beekeeper Younes Kheir shows Julia Klöckner, federal minister of Food and Agriculture, honeycombs on World Bee Day, May 20, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Carsten Koall / picture alliance via Getty Images
By Ajit Niranjan
Coronavirus lockdowns that keep farmers from fields and suppliers from markets are restricting another cornerstone of the agriculture industry: bees.
<p>Responsible for pollinating about a third of the plants we eat, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bees" target="_self">bees</a> are in short supply and their numbers are <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/insect-apocalypse-dying-ecosystem-species-loss-a-52160360/a-52160360" target="_blank">declining globally</a>. In large, food-exporting countries like the U.S. and China, there are too few local bees to pollinate crops — so beekeepers truck hives thousands of kilometers to pollinate fields.</p><p>Now, travel restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus are hurting the pollination industry by keeping bees at home. They are also stopping some beekeepers from feeding their hives, grounding flights that could import bees from abroad, and making it harder to hire seasonal workers to transport them, said Etienne Bruneau of Apimondia, the international federation of beekeepers. Some farmers "arrive in the [pollinating] season without bees and nobody to help them."</p>
<p>In the U.S., which is the world's biggest agricultural exporter but has fewer beehives than Spain, farmers rely on bees trucked long distances on pallets and forklifted into fields. California grows more than 3 in 4 of the world's almonds and each spring about two-thirds of the country's bee population is mobilized to pollinate them. The bees are then loaded onto trucks and sent elsewhere to fields of cherries, apples, blueberries, cranberries, pumpkins and other foods.</p><p>Pollination services contribute $15-20 billion (€13.7- €18.3 billion) to the value of U.S. crop production and, for many beekeepers, it is more lucrative than making honey. When bees gather nectar, pollen sticks to their bodies and rubs off onto other plants they land on. Harvest losses without their help can range from 5-10% for grains like rapeseed to as high as 80% for almonds and cherries, said Bruneau. </p>
<h3>Food Security</h3><p>Bees, together with pollinators like bats and birds, underpin the global food system. But their populations are dwindling and colonies collapsing as a result of human activity like building settlements, overusing pesticides, farming with monocultures and changing the climate through greenhouse gas emissions. A UN-backed assessment of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/why-biodiversity-loss-hurts-humans-as-much-as-climate-change/a-48579014" target="_blank">life on earth</a> last year found that pollinator loss threatens $235-$577 billion in annual crop output.</p><p>While experts say the food security risk from restrictions to bee movements is small, it represents yet another coronavirus-induced shock to a global food system already reeling from the pandemic. The <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/world-food-program-act-now-to-prevent-coronavirus-famine/a-53219305" target="_blank">World Food Programme</a> warned last month that COVID-19 could double the number of people facing acute hunger — currently estimated at 135 million people — by the end of 2020.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">Climate change</a>, conflict and poverty have worked together to drive food crises.</p><p>Across East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/locust-swarm-africa-wildfires-australia-climate/a-52208213" target="_blank">swarms of locusts</a> have ravaged vegetation after a year of weather extremes that included abnormally heavy rains and strong cyclones. While African bees have not been greatly affected by <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/do-coronavirus-lockdowns-in-africa-make-sense/a-53228689" target="_blank">lockdowns</a> — unlike in North America and Asia, beekeepers typically use fixed hives and do not move them large distances — pesticides to fight locusts have, in turn, hurt pollination, said David Mukomana, Apimondia's Africa president.</p><p>"Many [farmers] resorted to aerial sprays that had serious effects on many pollinating insects, bees included."</p><p>Meanwhile, across Asia and South America, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-security">food security</a> is particularly threatened by a growing dependence on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pollinators">pollinators</a>, according to a study published in the journal Global Change Biology last year. Areas that are more biologically diverse encourage pollination, researchers say, but countries are farming in ways that hurt <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity">biodiversity</a>.</p><p>What's more, the increase in pollinator dependency has not been matched by a rise in managed honeybees, the authors wrote, adding that this was an "alarm call" for pollinator-friendly farming methods such as targeted use of insecticide and planting hedgerows next to crops.</p><p>"The picture is worse for wild pollinators that are in decline in several regions," the authors wrote.</p>
<h3>Learning From Bees</h3><p>Even as lockdowns keep industrial bees grounded, wild bees may benefit from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-air-pollution-might-raise-risk-of-fatality/a-52977422" target="_blank">a drop in pollution and traffic</a> as humans stay at home. A study published in the <em>Journal of Insect Conservation</em> in 2015 estimated that billions of pollinating insects were killed on roads each year in North America alone. A global fall in transport may have kept some bees safe.</p><p>Yet despite these short-term benefits, "lockdown will do virtually nothing to reverse the major causes of bumblebee declines, which are habitat loss and degradation," a spokesperson from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust said.</p><p>Bees also have their own viruses to deal with. Like people, honeybees live in large groups and thrive on social interactions.</p><p>"That poses risks when it comes to pathogen transmissions," said Adam Dolezal, an insect scientist at the University of Illinois. "If a pathogen evolves that can circumvent those risks, the bees have to respond or become more infected."</p>
<p>Honeybees may be in an "evolutionary arms race" with the deadly Israeli acute paralysis virus, according to a study published in the journal <em>PNAS</em> last month. While bees are known to socially distance from infected nest mates and touch each other less, the virus has evolved a way of sneaking sick bees past guards of other colonies and spreading itself into new hives.<br></p><p>In the wild, where beehives are sparsely spread and there is little interaction between colonies, this evolutionary trait offers little advantage. But in industrial farms — with up to thousands of bees per square kilometer — it gives viruses a greater chance of starting new outbreaks.</p><p>It suggests that intensive agriculture can increase the danger of pathogens that target insects, as well as humans and other animals. Modern farming practices have come under scrutiny since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as scientists have sounded alarm bells about the dangers of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-pandemic-linked-to-destruction-of-wildlife-and-worlds-ecosystems/a-53078480" target="_blank">habitat destruction and zoonotic diseases</a>.</p><p>This doesn't mean we should stop keeping bees this way, but it does show how manipulating natural environments can give advantages to viruses, said Dolezal, who co-authored the study. "We should be on the lookout for places where pathogens can find chinks in the armor of the organism."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/bees-coronavirus-lockdowns-pollination/a-53500622?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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An aerial view of a notice dug into the sand reading #STAYHOME on Tamarama Beach on April 02, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. James Gourley / Getty Images
By Ellen Wright Clayton
Will SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, fade away on its own this summer?
After all, other viruses – including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis in little children – are mostly seen in the winter.
<p>The National Academies' Standing Committee on <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/standing-committee-on-emerging-infectious-diseases-and-21st-century-health-threats#sectionCommittee" target="_blank">Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats</a> <a href="https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25771/rapid-expert-consultation-on-sars-cov-2-survival-in-relation-to-temperature-and-humidity-and-potential-for-seasonality-for-the-covid-19-pandemic-april-7-2020" target="_blank">recently addressed the question</a> of whether SARS-CoV-2 will follow the same pattern. The group of experts corralled the research that's been done so far – much of it not yet peer-reviewed – to assess the evidence.</p><p>While there is some reason to hope that things may get better as the weather warms up, there is plenty of reason for the U.S. to keep its guard up.</p>
Are Heat and Humidity Reason for Hope?
<p>Although the U.S. is early in the course of the pandemic, there is evidence from other countries that SARS-CoV-2 spreads more rapidly in cold, dry weather.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.30.20044099" target="_blank">One preprint study of 30 Chinese provinces</a> showed that the number of COVID-19 cases went down by between 36% and 57% for every 1.8 degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature. When temperatures held steady in the low 40s F, the number of cases went down between 11% and 22% with each 1% increase in relative humidity (how much water is in the air).</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.27.20045658" target="_blank">A larger preprint study looking at 310 regions in 116 countries</a> found that 11% more cases were reported when the temperature went down 9 degrees, the relative humidity went down 10% and when the wind speed went up.</p><p>Laboratory research also suggest that the virus survives longer in cold conditions. One study showed that SARS-CoV-2 lasts for 14 days at 40 F in lab media but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(20)30003-3" target="_blank">is gone after one day at 98.6 F</a>.</p><p>These and other studies suggest that warm, humid weather may slow the spread of this virus, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.12.20022467" target="_blank">although not all</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.29.20046706" target="_blank">commentators agree</a>.</p><p>New research on this topic appears almost daily, and scientists are watching to see what happens as summer comes to the Northern Hemisphere.</p>Which Clues Call for Caution?
<p>COVID-19 is already spreading in many parts of the world where it's hot, including Australia and South America, demonstrating that high temperatures are not enough to stop the disease.</p><p>The most important reason to be concerned about ongoing spread is the fact that this is a brand new virus for humans, so almost everyone is susceptible to being infected.</p><p>In fact, weather actually appears to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.18.20036731" target="_blank">play a minor role</a> in the rate at which this virus spreads.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/opinion/coronavirus-what-we-know.html" target="_blank">Other influences on infection rates</a> include individual behaviors, cultural practices, geography, income and living conditions. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html" target="_blank">Public health practices</a> such as social distancing, the intensity of testing for infection, contact tracing, quarantine of people who are exposed and isolation of people who are actually infected also play a big role in how the coronavirus spreads.</p><p>The news from other viral diseases <a href="https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25771/rapid-expert-consultation-on-sars-cov-2-survival-in-relation-to-temperature-and-humidity-and-potential-for-seasonality-for-the-covid-19-pandemic-april-7-2020" target="_blank">is not encouraging either</a>. The two most serious coronavirus diseases that are closely related to COVID-19, the first SARS outbreak and MERS, <a href="https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25771/rapid-expert-consultation-on-sars-cov-2-survival-in-relation-to-temperature-and-humidity-and-potential-for-seasonality-for-the-covid-19-pandemic-april-7-2020" target="_blank">did not vary with the seasons after they emerged</a>. In fact, MERS is still <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/index.html" target="_blank">found year-round in the Middle East</a>, where it is hot and dry. Pandemic influenza infections have emerged at different times of the year as well.</p>What Should We Do?
<p> The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2003762" target="_blank">long-term solution to SARS-CoV-2</a> will be to develop a <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/can-we-really-develop-a-safe-effective-coronavirus-vaccine/" target="_blank">safe and effective vaccine</a>. This work is proceeding at unprecedented speed, but it will still take anywhere from months to a few years and will require trials involving thousands of people and massive international leadership and collaboration. </p><p> Until there's a vaccine, prevention will require avoiding exposure to people who can spread the virus. Communities need to test people to find out who is contagious and engage in serious contact tracing, quarantine and isolation. Scientists need to learn more about how to determine if someone is immune and how long immunity lasts, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/opinion/coronavirus-immunity.html" target="_blank">a big open question at the moment</a>. As individuals, each of us will need to follow expert scientific advice about good hygiene practices and distancing. </p><p> <a href="http://doi.org/10.1126/science.abb5793" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 is likely to keep circulating</a> until the human population has widespread immunity, which hopefully will come not from an unchecked pandemic but from developing and deploying a safe and effective vaccine. </p><script type="text/javascript" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136218/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" async="async"></script>From Your Site Articles
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A woman lies in bed with the flu. marka/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A central player in the fight against the novel coronavirus is our immune system. It protects us against the invader and can even be helpful for its therapy. But sometimes it can turn against us.
How does our immune system react to the coronavirus?
<p>The coronavirus is — like any other virus — not much more than a shell around genetic material and a few proteins. To replicate, it needs a host in the form of a living cell. Once infected, this cell does what the virus commands it to do: copy information, assemble it, release it.</p><p>But this does not go unnoticed. Within a few minutes, the body's immune defense system intervenes with its innate response: Granulocytes, scavenger cells and killer cells from the blood and lymphatic system stream in to fight the virus. They are supported by numerous plasma proteins that either act as messengers or help to destroy the virus.</p><p>For many viruses and bacteria, this initial activity of the immune system is already sufficient to fight an intruder. It often happens very quickly and efficiently. We often notice only small signs that the system is working: We have a cold, a fever. </p><p>Interferons are a subgroup of signaling proteins that are normally secreted by infected cells. SARS-CoV-1, which was responsible for the SARS epidemic in 2003, appears to have suppressed the production of one of these interferons and thus at least delayed the attraction of immune cells. To what extent this is also the case with SARS-CoV-2, the name given to the coronavirus behind the current pandemic, is still unclear. However, interferons support the body's own virus defense and are now being tested as a therapy in clinical trials.</p><p>At a certain point, however, the host response is so strong that its effect can be counterproductive. For example, numerous immune cells can enter our lungs and cause the membrane through which oxygen normally passes from the air into the blood to thicken. The exchange of gases is restricted, and in the worst case, ventilation may be necessary.</p><p>Sometimes the reaction can overshoot and be directed against healthy cells as well. This could also be the case with the novel coronavirus. So drugs are also being tested that suppress an excessive immune reaction and that are already known from the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The balance between protective and overly aggressive immune processes in dealing with the coronavirus is currently a big mystery. This must now be investigated, says Achim Hörauf, Director of the <a href="http://www.microbiology-bonn.de/immip/" target="_blank">Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology</a> at the University of Bonn. </p><p>After a time delay, the acquired immune system finally sets itself in motion. It is different for every person and depends on what we have experienced and with which pathogens we have come into contact. While T cells help destroy infected cells, B cells form antibodies that can keep the virus in check. In the case of the coronavirus, these are neutralizing antibodies that bind to the spike protein of the virus. This is the site of attack of the virus, with which it enters the host, i.e. our human cell. Neutralizing antibodies specifically incapacitate the spike protein. Our immune system remembers the antibodies it has produced and is thus prepared for a new infection with the same intruder.<br></p>
Is there an immunity? How long does it last?
<p>The good news is that it is very likely there is an immunity. This is suggested by the proximity to other viruses, epidemiological data and animal experiments. Researchers <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.13.990226v1" target="_blank">infected four rhesus monkeys,</a> a species close to humans, with SARS-CoV-2. The monkeys showed symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, developed neutralizing antibodies and recovered after a few days. When the recovered animals were reinfected with the virus, they no longer developed any symptoms: They were immune. </p><p>The bad news: It is not (yet) known how long the immunity will last. It depends on whether a patient has successfully developed neutralizing antibodies. Achim Hörauf estimates that the immunity should last at least one year. Within this year, every new contact with the virus acts as a kind of booster vaccination, which in turn might prolong the immunity.</p><p>"The virus is so new that nobody has a reasonable immune response," says the immunologist. He believes that lifelong immunity is unlikely. This "privilege" is reserved for viruses that remain in the body for a long time and give our immune system a virtually permanent opportunity to get to know it. Since the coronavirus is an RNA (and not a DNA) virus, it cannot permanently settle in the body, says Hörauf.</p><p>The Heidelberg immunologist <a href="https://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/immunologie/immunologie" target="_blank">Stefan Meuer</a> predicts that the novel coronavirus will also mutate like all viruses. He assumes that this could be the case in 10 to 15 years: "At some point, the acquired immunity will no longer be of any use to us because then another coronavirus will return, against which the protection that has now been formed will not help us because the virus has changed in such a way that the antibodies are no longer responsible. And then no vaccination will help either."</p>How can we take advantage of the antibody response of the immune system?
<p>Researchers are already collecting plasma from people who have successfully survived an infection with SARS-CoV-2 and are using it to treat a limited number of patients suffering from COVID-19. The underlying principle: <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-drugs-can-antibodies-from-survivors-help/a-52806428" target="_blank">passive immunization.</a> The studies carried out to date have shown positive results, but they have usually been carried out on only a few people.</p><p>At best, passive immunization is used only when the patient's own immune system has already started to work against the virus, says Achim Hörauf: "The longer you can leave the patients alone with the infection before you protect them with passive immunization, the better." Only through active immunization can one be protected in the long term. At the same time, it is difficult to recognize the right point in time.</p><p>PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are currently used to find out whether a person is infected with the coronavirus. With the help of PCR, it is not possible to tell whether or not there is reproducible viral RNA; it is just a proof of whether the virus is still present, dead or alive. A PCR test cannot tell us whether our immune system has already intervened, i.e. whether we have had contact with the virus in the past, have formed antibodies and are now protected. Researchers are therefore working on tests that check our blood for the presence of antibodies. They are already in use in Singapore, for example, and are nearing completion in the USA. With the help of these tests, it would finally be possible to gain an overview <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/corona-confusion-how-to-make-sense-of-the-numbers-and-terminology/a-52825433" target="_blank">of the unclear case numbers.</a> In addition, people who have developed antibodies against the virus could be used at the forefront of health care, for example. An "immunity passport" is even under discussion.</p>Is it possible to become infected and/or ill several times with the coronavirus?
<p>"According to all we know, it is not possible with the same pathogen," says Achim Hörauf. It is possible to become infected with other coronaviruses or viruses from the SARS or MERS group if their spike proteins look different. "As far as the current epidemic is concerned, it can be assumed that people who have been through COVID-19 will not become ill from it for the time being and will not transmit the virus any further," he says.</p>How long before you're no longer contagious?
<p>A study <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2196-x" target="_blank">carried out on the first coronavirus patients in Germany</a> showed that no viruses that are capable of replication can be found from day eight after the onset of symptoms, even though PCR can still detect up to 100,000 gene copies per sample. This could change the current quarantine recommendations in the future.</p><p>According to the Robert Koch Institute, patients can currently be discharged from hospital if they show two negative PCR samples from the throat within 24 hours. If they have had a severe case of the disease, they should remain in domestic isolation for another two weeks. For each discharge, whether from hospital or home isolation, they should have been symptom-free for at least 48 hours.</p>Why do people react differently to the virus?
<p>While some people get off with a mild cold, others are put on ventilators or even die of SARS-Cov-2. Especially people with <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-who-is-particularly-at-risk-and-why/a-52710881" target="_blank">pre-existing conditions</a> and older people seem to be worst-affected by the virus. Why? This is the hottest question at the moment.</p><p>It will still take a very, very long time to understand the mechanistic, biological basis for why some people are so much more severely affected than others, virologist Angela Rasmussen told <em>The Scientist</em>. "The virus is important, but the host response is at least as important, if not more important," her colleague Stanley Perlman told the magazine.</p><p>Stefan Meuer sees a fundamental survival principle of nature in the different equipment and activity of our immune systems: "If we were all the same, one and the same virus could wipe out the entire human species at once. Due to the genetic range, it is quite normal that some people die from a viral disease while others do not even notice it. "</p><p>Achim Hörauf also suspects immunological variants that could be genetically determined. Since interstitial pneumonia is observed with the coronavirus, the focus is probably on an overreaction of the immune system. However, it is also possible that each person affected may have been loaded with a different dose of the virus, which in turn leads to different outcomes. And finally, it makes a difference how robust the body and lungs are: Competitive athletes simply have more lung volume than long-time smokers. </p>From Your Site Articles
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Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London on Jan. 29, 2020, following an announcement that British Airways was suspending all flights to and from mainland China amid the escalating coronavirus crisis. Steve Parsons / PA Images via Getty Images
By Sophia Wagner
Many people find chasing through the clouds thousands of meters above the ground in a metal tube not too reassuring. Nevertheless, airplanes are one of the safest means of transport of all. But what is the situation apart from the accident statistics?
<h3>Infectious Diseases</h3><p>Airplanes are notorious for being breeding grounds for bacteria. Unjustly so: Although airplanes contribute to the spread of epidemics, this is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep00810?origin=ppub" target="_blank">mainly due to the movement of people</a> from one country to another.</p><p>It is not proven that when someone is inside the airplane, the danger of his or her getting infected is higher than standing in the queue at security control, for instance.</p><p>The risk of infection when flying is no higher than in an average office building. <a href="https://www.who.int/ith/mode_of_travel/en/" target="_blank">According to the WHO,</a> the air in an airplane is completely replaced 20 to 30 times within an hour. For this purpose, some fresh outside air is sucked into the aircraft.</p><p>The rest of the air is recycled. In most modern aircraft, the air passes through a HEPA filter. These filters are so fine that they trap even viruses and bacteria.</p><h5>No Influenza Viruses Found in the Aircraft</h5><p>For a <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/115/14/3623" target="_blank">study from 2018,</a> researchers collected nearly 230 air samples and surface swabs on 10 flights. In the subsequent analysis, no flu or cold viruses were found. And this despite the fact that the flights took place in the middle of the flu season.</p><p>It is more difficult if you are sitting within two rows of seats next to a sick fellow passenger. If there is a person coughing and sneezing in the immediate vicinity, the risk of being infected is just as high as in a bus or car.</p><h5>Disinfectant and Face Mask Protect Against Infection</h5><p>If you want to protect yourself, you should have disinfectant in your hand luggage. Before you eat or drink something, you should wipe your hands and the folding table with it.</p><p>If you have a cold yourself and want to protect others, you can think about <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-how-well-do-face-masks-protect-against-viruses-droplets-and-dust/a-52291265" target="_blank">a face mask</a>. It catches the droplets from our throat when we cough or sneeze. The mask may also give the person sitting next to you a feeling of security.</p><p>Better than that: highly infectious people should postpone a planned flight. Airlines are also allowed to exclude people with an acutely contagious disease from boarding.</p>
<h3>Cosmic Radiation</h3><p>The earth is constantly bombarded with a stream of high-energy atomic particles. They come from the sun and from the depths of the universe. The totality of these particles forms the so-called cosmic radiation.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/magnetic-north-pole-is-changing-faster-than-forecast/a-47043665" target="_blank">earth's magnetic field</a> and atmosphere act like a natural shield and intercept many of the particles. This means that the closer you are to the surface of the earth, the lower the radiation.</p><p>The shielding is highest at the equator and lowest at the polar regions. This is due to the shape of the magnetic field and the fact that the atmosphere is thinner above the poles.</p><h5>No Health Hazard for Occasional Pilots</h5><p>The dose of radiation that one receives during a flight therefore varies not only depending on the altitude and duration of the flight, but also on the route.</p><p>According to the <a href="https://www.bfs.de/EN/topics/ion/environment/air-soil/flight/flight.html;jsessionid=911D3E07E22E88090D781550EA065E49.1_cid339" target="_blank">Federal Office for Radiation Protection,</a> however, high-altitude radiation is not dangerous for occasional pilots, and it is even harmless for pregnant women and small children.</p><p>According to this, the effective dose for a flight from Frankfurt to New York and back, for example, is 100 microsieverts. Since the average annual radiation exposure averages 2100 microsieverts, this represents an increase of only 5 percent.</p><p>However, this also shows how much frequent flyers and flight personnel are exposed to increased radiation. Therefore, health authorities are looking into radiation as a potential health hazard for flight personnel.</p>
<h3>Air Pressure</h3><p>The cruising altitude for long-haul flights is between 11 and 12 kilometers. However, the air pressure inside the aircraft is controlled and corresponds to the air pressure at 2000 meters above sea level.</p><p>According to the WHO, this leads to less oxygen being absorbed into the blood. This is not a problem for healthy people.</p><p>However, for some people with heart and lung diseases or blood anomalies, the lower oxygen level can become a problem. They either need an extra oxygen supply or they should avoid flying.</p><h5>Pressure on the Ears</h5><p>The comparatively low air pressure can also lead to problems with the ears. Chewing gum, swallowing and yawning help to equalize the pressure.</p><p>If that doesn't help during descend, there is also the so-called <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322661#how-to-do-the-valsalva-maneuver" target="_blank">Valsalva method:</a> keep nose and mouth well closed while trying to breathe out strongly.</p><p>And if you have a sinus infection, it is better to avoid flying.</p>
<h3>Thromboses</h3><p><a href="https://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/wright_project/phase1_report/en/" target="_blank">According to the WHO,</a> one in 6000 passengers suffers from travel thrombosis after a long-haul flight. This leads to the formation of blood clots in the veins of the lower legs or the pelvic area.</p><p>Signs are swelling, redness and severe pain.</p><p>The lack of exercise is responsible for the formation of the thrombosis. This applies to airplanes, trains and long bus trips. There is not enough space in the narrow rows of seats.</p><p>Muscle movement is an important factor in keeping the blood flow moving. The blood vessels in the legs can become blocked on long-haul flights.</p><h5>Restricted Movement Is a Problem Especially for Risk Groups</h5><p>Some people have an increased risk of thrombosis. These include pregnant women, women who use hormonal contraception, people who are overweight, cancer patients and people with a genetic predisposition to thrombosis.</p><p>According to the WHO, there are no preventive measures for thromboses.</p><p>As far as flight conditions permit, a little exercise can do no harm. Many airlines also distribute instructions for muscle exercises to keep the blood flow going.</p>
<h3>Air Pressure</h3><p>The cruising altitude for long-haul flights is between 11 and 12 kilometres. However, the air pressure inside the aircraft is controlled and corresponds to the air pressure at 2000 meters above sea level.</p><p>According to the WHO, this leads to less oxygen being absorbed into the blood. This is not a problem for healthy people.</p><p>However, for some people with heart and lung diseases or blood anomalies, the lower oxygen level can become a problem. They either need an extra oxygen supply or they should avoid flying.</p><h5>Pressure on the Ears</h5><p>The comparatively low air pressure can also lead to problems with the ears. Chewing gum, swallowing and yawning help to equalize the pressure.</p><p>If that doesn't help during descend, there is also the so-called <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322661#how-to-do-the-valsalva-maneuver" target="_blank">Valsalva method:</a> keep nose and mouth well closed while trying to breathe out strongly.</p><p>And if you have a sinus infection, it is better to avoid flying.</p>
<h3>Thromboses</h3><p><a href="https://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/wright_project/phase1_report/en/" target="_blank">According to the WHO,</a> one in 6000 passengers suffers from travel thrombosis after a long-haul flight. This leads to the formation of blood clots in the veins of the lower legs or the pelvic area.</p><p>Signs are swelling, redness and severe pain.</p><p>The lack of exercise is responsible for the formation of the thrombosis. This applies to airplanes, trains and long bus trips. There is not enough space in the narrow rows of seats.</p><p>Muscle movement is an important factor in keeping the blood flow moving. The blood vessels in the legs can become blocked on long-haul flights.</p><h5>Restricted Movement Is a Problem Especially for Risk Groups</h5><p>Some people have an increased risk of thrombosis. These include pregnant women, women who use hormonal contraception, people who are overweight, cancer patients and people with a genetic predisposition to thrombosis.</p><p>According to the WHO, there are no preventive measures for thromboses.</p><p>As far as flight conditions permit, a little exercise can do no harm. Many airlines also distribute instructions for muscle exercises to keep the blood flow going.</p>
<h3>Dehydration</h3><p>The air humidity in airplanes is on average 20 percent. That is about half of what most people find pleasant. The low air humidity leads to dry skin on the face and dry eyes.</p><p>Moisturizing creams and eye drops help here. Anyone who is used to wearing contact lenses should preferably switch to regular glasses on a long-haul flight.</p><p>According to the WHO, it has not yet been proven that the external lack of moisture also leads to internal dehydration. Drinking plenty of water on the plane can still do no harm.</p><p>But please do not drink the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water">water</a> from the bathroom sink on board! Although the quality and drinkability of the on-board water <a href="https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/aircraft-drinking-water-rule#seventeen" target="_blank">will be tested regularly</a> by aircraft operators, the tap water on board should only be used to wash hands. This is especially true for people with immune deficiencies.</p><p>In this sense: Have a good flight!</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-and-other-dangers-how-to-stay-healthy-on-the-plane/a-52419332?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Coronavirus Has Infected More Than 60,000 Worldwide, New Figures From China Reveal
14 February
Health + Wellness
Passengers get off the train as they arrive at the Lo Wu MTR station on Feb. 3, 2020 in Hong Kong, China. Anthony Kwan / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
As the world's leading health experts wrapped up a two-day forum about the coronavirus at the World Health Organization's Geneva headquarters Wednesday, new figures out of China over the past 24 hours revealed that the respiratory illness has now infected more than 60,000 people globally.
<p>During a Thursday press conference about COVID-19, as the virus is now officially known, Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, emphasized that the new figures don't represent a spike in infections but rather reflect a change in the way China is counting cases.</p>
<div id="f28a2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OD68GY1581714313"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227980722323042304" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@DrMikeRyan "This increase is in large part down to a change in how cases are diagnosed and reported"-@DrMikeRyan #COVID19 #coronavirus</div> — World Health Organization (WHO) (@World Health Organization (WHO))<a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/statuses/1227980722323042304">1581608393.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Since Wednesday, China has reported an additional 1,820 laboratory-confirmed cases as well as 13,332 clinically-confirmed cases in the Hubei province, Ryan said. Experts believe the virus outbreak started at a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-ban-illegal-animal-trade-tighten-supervision-on-wet-markets-2020-2" target="_blank">wet market</a>" in Wuhan, the province's capital and largest city, late last year.</p><p>The new additions brought the total number of cases in mainland China to 59,804, with at least 1,367 deaths, <a href="https://apnews.com/8f9a62dd30cff38645b0197b184dc5e3" target="_blank">according to</a> The Associated Press. There are also 51 cases, with one death, in Hong Kong, and 10 cases in Macao, which are both special administrative regions of China.</p>
<p>One public health expert <a href="https://apnews.com/2ce0ef3cab52434988c82dc87896be20" target="_blank">suggested</a> to the AP that China's new "clinical diagnosis case" classification likely reflects a backlog of samples from patients:</p><blockquote>"Clearly in Wuhan, the health system is under extreme pressure and so the first priority has to be the patient," said Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh.<br>He said it wasn't unprecedented for case definitions to rely on doctors' diagnoses rather than wait for laboratory confirmation, and that these kinds of changes usually happen when there are simply too many patients to process in a fast-moving outbreak.<br>"I'm not surprised that this has happened given the way the outbreak has been going in China," Woolhouse said. "You have to be pragmatic and take the concerns of the patient first and treat them as if they already have the disease, even in the absence of lab confirmation."</blockquote><p>While the vast majority of infections and deaths have been in China, particularly the Hubei province, relatively small numbers of infections and a few deaths have been <a href="https://apnews.com/8f9a62dd30cff38645b0197b184dc5e3" target="_blank">documented</a> in over two dozen other countries. Japan has the second-highest number of cases due to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-japan-ship-idUSKBN20708N" target="_blank">quarantined cruise ship</a> docked in Yokohama.</p>
<div id="f4f21" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RW4QPH1581714314"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227987293174104066" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Japan announces first death from the novel coronavirus, hours after confirming 44 more cases on a cruise ship quara… https://t.co/eSe6FxUoBi</div> — PBS NewsHour (@PBS NewsHour)<a href="https://twitter.com/NewsHour/statuses/1227987293174104066">1581609960.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-japan-ship-idUSKBN20708N" target="_blank">reported</a> Thursday that "elderly passengers on the Diamond Princess who have pre-existing conditions or are in windowless rooms would be allowed to leave starting from Friday, rather than the originally targeted date of Feb. 19. They will complete their quarantine onshore."</p><p>That announcement came from Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato, who confirmed later in the day that a woman in her 80s from the Kanagawa prefecture had died after contracting the virus, marking the country's first death related to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>The Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R) and the WHO, a United Nations agency, held a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday for more than 300 of the world's leading public health experts to set priorities and fund research aimed at containing this outbreak and preventing others.</p><p>In a statement Wednesday, GloPID-R chair Yazdan Yazdanpanah <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/12-02-2020-world-experts-and-funders-set-priorities-for-covid-19-research" target="_blank">said</a> that "equitable access — making sure we share data and reach those most in need, in particular those in lower and middle-income countries, is fundamental to this work which must be guided by ethical considerations at all times."</p>
<div id="1731d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="U9NR8O1581714314"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227855015177543681" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#COVID19 Priority research:
📍the natural history of the virus, its transmission and diagnosis
📍animal and environme… https://t.co/xvdieQDwir</div> — Eric Feigl-Ding (@Eric Feigl-Ding)<a href="https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/statuses/1227855015177543681">1581578422.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that "research is an integral part of the outbreak response."</p><p>"This outbreak is a test of solidarity — political, financial and scientific," he added. "We need to come together to fight a common enemy that does not respect borders, ensure that we have the resources necessary to bring this outbreak to an end and bring our best science to the forefront to find shared answers to shared problems."</p><p>The WHO chief's remarks echoed his statements from earlier in the week, which <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/10/calling-global-action-who-chief-says-world-may-only-be-seeing-tip-iceberg" target="_blank">included</a> a warning that "we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg" with the virus. Tedros has repeatedly called for global cooperation to end the outbreak.</p><p>As Common Dreams <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/11/just-trump-slashes-global-health-funds-experts-warn-coronavirus-could-infect-60" target="_blank">reported</a> Tuesday, while the virus continued to spread and kill people, U.S. President Donald <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> on Monday unveiled his 2021 budget blueprint, which proposed slashing <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/02/10/trump-world-health-organization-funding-coronavirus-state-department-usaid-budget-cuts/" target="_blank">funds </a>for global health programs by 34%.</p><p>Noting the rising death toll in China due to COVID-19, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) denounced the president's proposal as "a unilateral, willing surrender to pandemic disease."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/13/who-forum-ends-updated-figures-china-reveal-new-virus-has-infected-over-60000?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Silent Threat of the Coronavirus: America’s Dependence on Chinese Pharmaceuticals
12 February
Health + Wellness
Residents wear protective masks in the supermarket on Feb. 12, 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Stringer / Getty Images
By Christine Crudo Blackburn, Andrew Natsios Gerald W Parker and Leslie Ruyle
As the new coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, spreads rapidly around the globe, the international community is scrambling to keep up. Scientists rush to develop a vaccine, policymakers debate the most effective containment methods, and health care systems strain to accommodate the growing number of sick and dying. Though it may sound like a scene from the 2011 movie "Contagion," it is actually an unfolding reality.
<p>In the midst of all of this, a potential crisis simmers in the shadows: The global dependence on China for the production of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.</p>
<h2>Chinese Dominance in the Pharmaceutical Market</h2><p>We represent an interdisciplinary group of scientists and policymakers at the <a href="https://pandemic.tamu.edu/" target="_blank">Scowcroft Institute's Pandemic and Biosecurity Policy Program based at the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University</a> who have been holding annual summits addressing pandemic-related issues for the past five years. One of our goals is to promote dialogue on potential risks related to pandemics and U.S. security, in this case the disruption of supply chains and availability of medical supplies and drugs.</p><p>Today, about <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/us-dependence-pharmaceutical-products-china" target="_blank">80% of pharmaceuticals sold in the U.S. are produced in China</a>. This number, while concerning, hides an even greater problem: China is the largest and sometimes only global supplier for the active ingredient of some vital medications. The active ingredients for medicines that treat <a href="https://www.amazon.com/China-Rx-Exposing-Americas-Dependence/dp/1633883817" target="_blank">breast cancer and lung cancer and the antibiotic Vancomycin</a>, which is a last resort antibiotic for some types of antimicrobial resistant infections, are made almost exclusively in China. Additionally, China controls such a large market portion of heparin, a blood thinner used in open-heart surgery, kidney dialysis and blood transfusions that the U.S. government was left with no choice but to continue buying from China even after a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/China-Rx-Exposing-Americas-Dependence/dp/1633883817" target="_blank">contamination scandal in 2007</a>.</p><p>China is not only the dominant global supplier of pharmaceuticals, but it is also the largest supplier of medical devices in the U.S. These include things like <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf15K/K151074.pdf" target="_blank">MRI equipment</a>, surgical gowns, and equipment that measures oxygen levels in the blood. Supplies of these essential products have not yet been severely disrupted by the coronavirus, but if China is no longer will or able to supply them to the U.S., thousands of Americans could die.</p><p>More concerning still are the limited options available to the U.S. and the rest of the globe to make up the shortfall. It could take years to develop the necessary infrastructure to reestablish U.S. manufacturing capacities and obtain Food and Drug Administration licensure to overcome the loss of the Chinese supply.</p><p>When a disease reaches epidemic levels, the first obligation for leaders in any country is to protect their own people. As this current crisis progresses, there may come a point when political leaders in China will face decisions on whether to prohibit the export of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other vital medical components in order to treat or protect their own people. Such acts would be the logical outcome of an escalating situation. For the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062202386.html" target="_blank">2009 H1N1 pandemic response</a>, for example, the U.S. was pushed to the back of the queue for vaccine deliveries even though we had existing contracts with a major vaccine manufacturer located in another country. Those vaccine deliveries were delayed.</p>
<h2>Disruption of Global Pharmaceuticals?</h2><p>While a total loss of active ingredient imports from China might seem far-fetched, we believe the increasing scale of the outbreak moves it closer to the realm of possibility.</p><p>About six weeks into international recognition of the epidemic in China, there are already <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/china/2019-novel-coronavirus-situation-report-1-january-27-2020" target="_blank">shortages of vital personal protective equipment</a> in both China and the U.S. UPS has transported more than <a href="https://www.whas11.com/article/money/business/ups-to-airlift-supplies-to-china-to-combat-coronavirus/417-ee780ae6-598d-4d54-873d-e1f5176fce2a" target="_blank">2 million masks and 11,000 gowns</a> to Wuhan to help alleviate the shortage. But what happens when everyone runs out of protective equipment?</p><p>Wuhan is a <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/5/18-0220_article" target="_blank">significant player in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry</a>, with multiple pharmaceutical companies located in the city. How many of these factories have closed as a result of the pandemic, and when will those that have closed open back up? Global supply chains could reach a crisis point if they are compromised because Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, is in quarantine and factories are shut down.</p><p>Additionally, Wuhan is the location of China's first Biosafety Level (BSL) 4 laboratory, which was opened in <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/5/18-0220_article" target="_blank">2017 to research SARS</a> and other emerging diseases. It is the only lab in China that can safely handle the world's most dangerous pathogens that pose a significant risk of transmission. Infection, death and quarantine in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province is restricting the ability of all types of commerce in the region. Meanwhile, the virus is already creating a significant supply chain imbalance within China. That means those medical supply companies will be under pressure to keep any products produced within the country for protection of their own health care workers, laboratory personnel and the general public.</p><p>The regulatory apparatus to insure that the Chinese manufactured pharmaceuticals being exported meet the highest standards of safety and quality control are <a href="https://www.uscc.gov/annual-report/2019-annual-report-0" target="_blank">weak or nonexistent</a>, according to a congressional report last year. The pressure placed on supply chains by the outbreak could further exacerbate existing quality control challenges. In doing so, the virus has highlighted our reliance on China as a U.S. national security issue due to outsourcing our manufacturing capabilities and inability to ensure quality control.</p><p>As with all pandemics, the complexity of this outbreak demands international collaboration and transparency. At the same time, U.S. public health officials must acknowledge the country's vulnerability due to our dependence on Chinese production of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. The U.S. must develop a response plan for the inevitable shortages in the near-term and take necessary actions to reclaim control of our medical supply chain. Continuing to overlook this long-known vulnerability will only lead to catastrophe.</p>
<p>
<em><span style="background-color: initial;">Christine Crudo Blackburn is a p</span>ostdoctoral research fellow at the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.<br/>
<br/>
</em><em>Andrew Natsios is the director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs and Executive Professor, Texas A&M University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Gerald W Parker is the associate dean for Global One Health, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences; and the Director for the Pandemic and Biosecurity Policy Program, Scowcroft Institute for International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Leslie Ruyle is the assistant director at the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.</em>
</p><div>
<p>
<em>Disclosure statement: Andrew Natsios is affiliated with the Bush School of Government, The Hudson Institute, Scowcroft Institute at the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M Univ, and Fio Corp.</em>
</p>
<p>
<em>Christine Crudo Blackburn, Gerald W Parker, and Leslie Ruyle do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p>
</div><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-silent-threat-of-the-coronavirus-americas-dependence-on-chinese-pharmaceuticals-130670" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Coronavirus: How Well Do Face Masks Protect Against Viruses, Droplets and Dust?
09 February
Health + Wellness
David McNew / Getty Images
By Fabian Schmidt
The simple mouth and nose protector — a mask made of a rather thin paper fleece, which is knotted behind the head with ribbons - was formerly used almost exclusively in operating theaters.
<p>Doctors and assistants wear this mouthguard primarily to prevent their patients on the operating table from being infected with <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/top-10-most-dangerous-viruses-in-the-world/a-17846283" target="_blank">germs and pathogens</a>. If the wearer of the mask coughs or sneezes, for example, most of the droplets from the mouth and throat get caught in the mask. </p><p>In the long run, however, this only works if the mask is changed regularly and disposed of hygienically and safely. In surgery, doctors must change their mask at least every two hours. If, on the other hand, a mask of this type is worn repeatedly, it quickly loses its effectiveness. </p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-how-well-do-face-masks-protect-against-viruses-droplets-and-dust/a-52291265" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><em></em></p>
How Much Protection Does the Mask Provide?
<p>The wearer of the mask can protect himself against droplet and smear infections, but only to a very limited extent. Although the virus usually enters the body through the mouth or eyes — if there are no open wounds — the hands play the most important role in transporting the virus.</p><p>If you decide to wear a mask, you should probably also opt for protective goggles. The surgical masks, albeit less effective in keeping the viruses out, merely function as a constant reminder not to touch your nose with your hands when it itches. Neither should you rub your eyes.</p>Half Masks Offer Better Protection
<p>In addition to surgical masks, which look more like multi-layer disposable kitchen towels, there are also half masks with a real filter effect. These are more familiar to those who work in dusty environments or with aerosols. They are available either as disposable masks, usually made of strong pressed cellulose with a filter element and an exhalation valve, or as plastic masks in which a suitable filter is then inserted.</p><p>In the European Union these types of masks are divided into three <a href="https://d3rbxgeqn1ye9j.cloudfront.net/fileadmin/www.uvex-safety.com/Media/catalogues_and_brochures/en/uvex_respiratory_protection_guide_PPE_EN.pdf?1494846973" target="_blank">FFP protection classes</a> (filtering face piece). Although masks of protection level FFP1 are still better than surgical masks, they do not offer the desired protection against viruses. They are intended for carpenters, for example, who work at a band saw with a vacuum extraction system. Workmen may wear them to catch the coarser dust, which the vacuum cleaner is unable to catch. Or a bricklayer can put them on before mixing cement with a trowel, kicking up some dust.</p><p>Only FFP-3 class masks effectively protect the wearer from droplet aerosols, protein molecules, viruses, bacteria, fungi and spores, and even from highly dangerous dusts such as <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/asbestos-a-cancer-risk-lurking-in-the-wall/a-46170006" target="_blank">asbestos fibers</a>.<span></span></p>If a Mask is Needed — Then it Needs to Be the Right One
<p>Such high-quality filter masks can protect the wearer — unlike simple surgical masks — from infection due to their design. In other words, also from a highly infectious pathogen such as measles or tuberculosis.</p><p><span></span>But here too, protection only works if many other protective measures are taken at the same time: Strict hygiene when putting on a mask, protective goggles, gloves and plastic apron or overall, proper disposal of possibly contaminated disposable items and regular hand washing. In addition, the surroundings must always be systematically disinfected.</p><p>These masks - together with all other protective clothing — are therefore used in quarantine stations, for example, where patients who are already infected are cared for. The medical staff has to put on and take off all the protective clothing, including the protective mask, at considerable expense.</p><p>For traveling in public transport or working at a keyboard at alternating workstations, which happen to be among the worst germinators of all, this effort would be completely disproportionate.</p>And What About Tear Gas?
<p>The demonstrators in Hong Kong also wore a variety of different protective masks - from simple surgical masks to half masks with filters.</p><p>Surgical masks are probably only effective in concealing the demonstrators' identity. However, when the police fire tear gas grenades that spray an aerosol, only FFP-3 filters can provide some protection. To prevent the tear gas from getting into the eyes, airtight protective goggles are absolutely necessary.</p><p>However, occupational safety filters from the hardware store do not offer any real protection. A proper full face gas mask with a military NBC filter would do the job.</p><p>And of course this also provides good protection against viruses. But in everyday life nobody wants to walk around like this.</p>Best Protection: Don't forget to Wash Your Hands
<p>All masks and goggles are of little use if the most important hygienic principles are neglected. For example, if you come home after a long bus or train ride, where you touched handrails and handles, take off the mask and scratch your nose, You could have left out the protective mask just as well.</p><p>It's the same at work: if you have been typing on the computer keyboard all morning and then go to lunch without washing your hands first, you take a considerable risk. Then, wearing a mask at the computer workstation would have been of little use either.</p>
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Clue to Stopping Coronavirus: Knowing How Viruses Adapt From Animals to Humans
05 February
Health + Wellness
Horseshoe bats were the source of SARS. Scientists consider bats to be a possible source of coronavirus. Marko Konig / Getty Images
By Frederick Cohan, Kathleen Sagarin and Kelly Mei
As the novel coronavirus death toll mounts, it is natural to worry. How far will this virus travel through humanity, and could another such virus arise seemingly from nowhere?
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OH5OPd4AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">microbial ecologists</a> who study the origins of new microbial species, we would like to give some perspective.</p><p>As a result of continuing deforestation, "bushmeat" hunting of wild animals and caring for our domestic animals, the novel coronavirus will certainly not be the last deadly virus from wild animals to infect <a href="https://doi.org/%2010.3201/eid1112.040789" target="_blank">humans</a>. Indeed, wild species of bats and primates abound in viruses closely <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/v11030210" target="_blank">related to SARS</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0805.010522" target="_blank">HIV</a>, respectively. When humans interact with wild animal species, pathogens that are resident in those animals can spill over to humans, sometimes with deadly effects.</p>
<h2>No New Virus Under the Sun?</h2><p>Most "emergent" viruses that are new to humans are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap7463" target="_blank">regular inhabitants of other species</a>. In some cases, the animal hosts have reached a peaceful coexistence with their viruses, as in the case of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.01.006" target="_blank">bats</a>. In other cases, the viruses are as deadly in their wild animal hosts as in us, as with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08200" target="_blank">chimpanzees and their immunodeficiency viruses</a>. Human activities have increased the rate of spillovers of wild animal viruses into our species, particularly from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/cddiscovery.2016.48" target="_blank">bats</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation">Deforestation</a> has brought bats closer to human habitations, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/srep41613" target="_blank">resulting in recurrent spread of Ebola from bats to humans</a> in sub-Saharan Africa. The trade in wild animals brought us SARS when <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70962-6_13" target="_blank">bats infected captive civets in a live-animal market</a> with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2009.09.015" target="_blank">virus</a>. Most profoundly, <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2010.0031" target="_blank">hunting chimpanzees in Cameroon brought humans HIV about a century ago</a>, most likely by way of an <a href="https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0805.01-0522" target="_blank">accident in handling an infected carcass</a>.</p><p>Other recent, emergent viruses have come to us from bats by way of our domestic animals. Hendra and Nipah virus spilled over in 1994 from fruit bats, by way of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2016.02.004" target="_blank">horses</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2016.12.003" target="_blank">pigs in 1999</a>, respectively. In 2012 the MERS virus jumped to humans <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2016.01.004" target="_blank">from camels</a>, which were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00373-17" target="_blank">originally infected from bats</a> several hundred years ago. Caring for our horses' and camels' runny noses was responsible for bringing us Hendra and MERS.</p><p>Going further into the past, scientists have determined that agricultural and domestic animals <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05775" target="_blank">delivered to us our most deadly pathogens</a>. For example, smallpox spilled over from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2012.07.011" target="_blank">camels</a>, and measles came to us from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-422X-7-52" target="_blank">cattle</a>, both many centuries ago. These virus infections were not a flash in the pan but stayed with us and infected most people as children until the recent past. If not for vaccines, these viruses would still be a routine and deadly part of childhood.</p><p>While scientists do not yet know the species origin of the new coronavirus, it is unsurprising that it emerged in a market containing an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/coronavirus-zoonosis-1.5440146" target="_blank">astonishing variety of live animals</a>.</p>
<h2>How Far Will the Novel Coronavirus Spread?</h2><p>Scientists quantify the ability of a virus to spread by <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/1/17-1901_article" target="_blank">the statistic R0</a>, which measures the average number of people each contagious person infects. When each individual carrying a virus infects more than one person (R0>1), the virus can spread indefinitely. A happier outcome results when each infected person infects fewer than one person (R0<1), on average. Such viruses may spread briefly in humans but eventually will disappear from the human population.</p><p>At the moment, the novel coronavirus is transmitting at an <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-01-2020-statement-on-the-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)" target="_blank">R0 around 1.4-2.5</a>, which means it could continue to spread indefinitely. For comparison, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-14-480." target="_blank">seasonal influenza viruses have a median R0 of 1.28</a>, a rate that allows them to spread every year around the globe.</p><p>R0 is a dynamic parameter that can change rapidly. The transmission rate can change upward as a result of the virus' evolution and adaptation to humans, or downward by changes in human behavior and technology.</p><p>For example, in the recent West African Ebola outbreak, the virus spread from human to human to eventually infect <a href="https://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/" target="_blank">over 28,000 people</a>. In this time, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.10.013" target="_blank">the virus evolved</a> to become better at attaching to human cells, while becoming worse at attaching to cells of bats. This human-adapted lineage went extinct as the West African Ebola outbreak ended. The novel coronavirus could possibly follow suit and adapt to humans, thereby increasing its transmissibility.</p>
<h2>No New Virus Under the Sun?</h2><p>Most "emergent" viruses that are new to humans are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap7463" target="_blank">regular inhabitants of other species</a>. In some cases, the animal hosts have reached a peaceful coexistence with their viruses, as in the case of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.01.006" target="_blank">bats</a>. In other cases, the viruses are as deadly in their wild animal hosts as in us, as with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08200" target="_blank">chimpanzees and their immunodeficiency viruses</a>. Human activities have increased the rate of spillovers of wild animal viruses into our species, particularly from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/cddiscovery.2016.48" target="_blank">bats</a>.</p><p>Deforestation has brought bats closer to human habitations, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/srep41613" target="_blank">resulting in recurrent spread of Ebola from bats to humans</a> in sub-Saharan Africa. The trade in wild animals brought us SARS when <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70962-6_13" target="_blank">bats infected captive civets in a live-animal market</a> with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2009.09.015" target="_blank">virus</a>. Most profoundly, <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2010.0031" target="_blank">hunting chimpanzees in Cameroon brought humans HIV about a century ago</a>, most likely by way of an <a href="https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0805.01-0522" target="_blank">accident in handling an infected carcass</a>.</p><p>Other recent, emergent viruses have come to us from bats by way of our domestic animals. Hendra and Nipah virus spilled over in 1994 from fruit bats, by way of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2016.02.004" target="_blank">horses</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2016.12.003" target="_blank">pigs in 1999</a>, respectively. In 2012 the MERS virus jumped to humans <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2016.01.004" target="_blank">from camels</a>, which were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00373-17" target="_blank">originally infected from bats</a> several hundred years ago. Caring for our horses' and camels' runny noses was responsible for bringing us Hendra and MERS.</p><p>Going further into the past, scientists have determined that agricultural and domestic animals <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05775" target="_blank">delivered to us our most deadly pathogens</a>. For example, smallpox spilled over from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2012.07.011" target="_blank">camels</a>, and measles came to us from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-422X-7-52" target="_blank">cattle</a>, both many centuries ago. These virus infections were not a flash in the pan but stayed with us and infected most people as children until the recent past. If not for vaccines, these viruses would still be a routine and deadly part of childhood.</p><p>While scientists do not yet know the species origin of the new coronavirus, it is unsurprising that it emerged in a market containing an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/coronavirus-zoonosis-1.5440146" target="_blank">astonishing variety of live animals</a>.</p>
<h2>How Far Will the Novel Coronavirus Spread?</h2><p>Scientists quantify the ability of a virus to spread by <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/1/17-1901_article" target="_blank">the statistic R0</a>, which measures the average number of people each contagious person infects. When each individual carrying a virus infects more than one person (R0>1), the virus can spread indefinitely. A happier outcome results when each infected person infects fewer than one person (R0<1), on average. Such viruses may spread briefly in humans but eventually will disappear from the human population.</p><p>At the moment, the novel coronavirus is transmitting at an <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-01-2020-statement-on-the-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)" target="_blank">R0 around 1.4-2.5</a>, which means it could continue to spread indefinitely. For comparison, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-14-480." target="_blank">seasonal influenza viruses have a median R0 of 1.28</a>, a rate that allows them to spread every year around the globe.</p><p>R0 is a dynamic parameter that can change rapidly. The transmission rate can change upward as a result of the virus' evolution and adaptation to humans, or downward by changes in human behavior and technology.</p><p>For example, in the recent West African Ebola outbreak, the virus spread from human to human to eventually infect <a href="https://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/" target="_blank">over 28,000 people</a>. In this time, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.10.013" target="_blank">the virus evolved</a> to become better at attaching to human cells, while becoming worse at attaching to cells of bats. This human-adapted lineage went extinct as the West African Ebola outbreak ended. The novel coronavirus could possibly follow suit and adapt to humans, thereby increasing its transmissibility.</p>
<h2>Behavior Change in Humans Can Reduce Virus Transmission<br></h2><p>Humans can combat the effects of viral evolution through behavioral changes that reduce virus transmission. For example, when SARS first emerged, it spread rapidly, with a high R0, eventually causing <a href="https://www.who.int/csr/sars/country/table2004_04_21/en/" target="_blank">8,098 cases and 774 deaths worldwide</a>.</p><p>However, SARS did not have the right stuff to spread indefinitely. It soon became clear that infected individuals were not contagious until after they displayed early symptoms such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1043/1543-2165(2004)128%3C1346:SARSOW%3E2.0.CO;2" target="_blank">severe headaches and myalgia</a>. Thus, infected people could easily diagnose themselves and check into a hospital before infecting anyone. Hence, the R0 dropped to less than 1, which ensured eradication.</p><p>Like SARS, Ebola is terribly deadly and contagious, and also does not have the right stuff for persistence in humans. Ebola spreads through exposure to bodily fluids of an infected individual, but cannot be spread at a distance by sneezing or coughing.</p><p>The burial traditions of West Africans contributed significantly to the early and rapid outbreak of the virus, as family members directly <a href="https://doi.org/10.11694/pamj.supp.2015.22.1.6190" target="_blank">handled the body of the deceased</a>. When people started avoiding contact with the bodily fluids of those infected, either alive or deceased, Ebola's transmission rate plummeted to an R0<1. The R0 of Ebola decreased through changes in behavior alone, <a href="https://doi.org/10.11694/pamj.supp.2015.22.1.6190" target="_blank">even in the most rural villages</a>, without the benefit of newly developed therapies and vaccines.</p><p>So far, it seems scientists and health care workers may not be so lucky in containing the novel coronavirus because it is transmissible even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05775" target="_blank">before symptoms arise</a>. However, transmission will certainly be reduced if we follow familiar protocols for preventing cold and flu infection, such as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-prevent-spread.html" target="_blank">self-quarantine</a>,<a href="http://www.wesleyanarcadia.com/spring-2019/how-we-can-all-share-the-fight-against-infectious-disease" target="_blank">handwashing and generally avoiding others' germs</a>.</p>
<h2>Beyond Behavioral Modification</h2><p>Medical technology may provide solutions going forward. One promising effort is a <a href="https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/asia-pacific/veredus-laboratories-announces-development-detection-kit-wuhan-coronavirus" target="_blank">portable detection kit</a>. The VereCoV detection kit can detect and distinguish among three coronaviruses, SARS, MERS and 2019-nCoV within just two hours. Long-term technological efforts may eventually include drug therapies and vaccination.</p><p>The stakes for containing the novel coronavirus are high. If health officials can reduce virus transmission toward R0<1 through changes in behavior or through technology, we may reach eradication as seen globally in SARS and at least locally in Ebola.</p><p>But if the virus continues to spread at its current rate, or at an even higher rate through its evolution, the novel coronavirus could be with us indefinitely. The virus would then join the ranks of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05775" target="_blank">persistent viruses our species has accumulated</a> over millennia from animals people have hunted or domesticated. It may take a <a href="http://www.wesleyanarcadia.com/spring-2019/how-we-can-all-share-the-fight-against-infectious-disease" target="_blank">combination of changes</a> in individual behavior, investment in the public health abroad, and the development of new technologies for the novel outbreak to end happily.</p>
<p>
<em>Frederick Cohan is the Huffington Foundation professor of biology in the College of the Environment, Wesleyan University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Kathleen Sagarin is a doctoral candidate in biology at Wesleyan University.</em>
</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kelly-mei-954742" target="_blank">Kelly Mei</a> is a research assistant at Wesleyan University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-clue-to-stopping-coronavirus-knowing-how-viruses-adapt-from-animals-to-humans-130790" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em><br/>
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By Rebecca Staudenmaier
Yannik Weis was studying abroad in the Chinese city of Wuhan when a deadly new type of coronavirus broke out. He became one of over 100 people Germany evacuated from the area over the weekend.
Although he and many other German evacuees are feeling healthy and in good spirits, Weis told DW on Monday that coming back to Germany in light of the outbreak had been "stressful."
<p>He and 114 other evacuees are being kept in quarantine at a military base in the town of Germersheim, which is 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Frankfurt. Weis said that they've been treated well at the base and that there "is a lot of medical support."</p><p>"If we leave our rooms, we have to wear a mask. Of course we are allowed to go outside to get some fresh air, but all the time we have to wear masks," Weis said.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-german-evacuation-flight-from-china-carried-two-infected-people/a-52229955" target="_blank">Two of the German evacuees</a> who were on the flight with Weis ended up testing positive for the virus and are currently being treated at a hospital in Frankfurt.</p><p>"Everybody in the airplane wore masks all the time. So I think the risk of getting infected there was very very small," Weis said.</p><p>He added that he thinks the quarantine is a necessary step in order to stop possible spread of the outbreak.</p>
<h3>Empty Streets 'but No Panic' in Wuhan</h3><p>Prior to the outbreak and the subsequent orders to remain in doors, Weis said the busy metropolis of Wuhan was "full of life."</p><p>"Everything was full of people. And suddenly after the outbreak ... the streets were empty," Weis noted.</p><p>He added that, despite the sudden shift in daily life in the city, people reacted calmly to the changes.</p><p>"Everyone was very silent and calm, but there was definitely no panic," he said.</p><p>There have been 10 confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany so far, most of which are based in the southern state of Bavaria.</p><p>China has effectively shut down the city of Wuhan and many surrounding provinces and municipalities in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.</p><p>At least 361 people have died from the coronavirus so far, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-death-toll-overtakes-sars-epidemic/a-52235316" target="_blank">surpassing the SARS epidemic</a> that left 249 dead between 2002 and 2003.</p><p>More than 17,000 people in China are currently infected, with more than 24 countries also reporting cases.</p>
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<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/german-coronavirus-evacuee-describes-life-in-quarantine/a-52241442?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em></p>Related Articles Around the Web
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