Zoonotic Diseases Expected To Increase Due to Climate Change, Kill 12 Times More Individuals in 2050 [Study]

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Zoonotic Diseases Expected To Increase Due to Climate Change, Kill 12 Times More Individuals in 2050 [Study]

Zoonotic diseases like rabies, dengue, and COVID-19 have caused serious medical issues. However, a new study suggests that more cases will likely be recorded in the coming years due to climate change.

Zoonotic Diseases and Climate Change

Boston-based biotech company Ginkgo Bioworks employed researchers specializing in genetic engineering to analyze 60 years of epidemiological data. The scientists learned that the epidemic cases have increased by nearly five percent between 1963 and 2019. The rate of casualty has also risen by nine percent.

The recently published study suggests that disease epidemics caused by animals could kill at least 12 times as many people in 2050 as they did in 2020. When these zoonotic diseases infect humans, they are referred to as "spillover events." Intensifying climate change and deforestation, which both result in increased human-animal contact, may cause such spillovers to occur more frequently in the future.

"If these annual rates of increase continue, we would expect the analysed pathogens to cause four times the number of spillover events and 12 times the number of deaths in 2050 than in 2020," they wrote in the paper.

The forecast depends on humans and animals continuing to exist on Earth in large enough numbers in 2050 to spread diseases among them. However, given the unpredictable nature of the planet's mass extinction events and worsening climate catastrophe, this prediction looks increasingly improbable.

The scientists concluded after analyzing historical trends for four different types of viruses - the Machupo virus (which causes Bolivian hemorrhagic fever), the Nipah virus (which causes swelling of the brain), the SARS Coronavirus-1 (which causes SARS), and filoviruses (like Ebola and Marburg). After looking through over 3,150 outbreaks from 1963 to 2019, the researchers found 75 spillover incidents in 24 countries that resulted in at least 50 fatalities. Additionally, 17,232 people died as a result of the epidemics, 15,771 of which were brought on by filoviruses and predominantly affected Africa.

There are claims that coronavirus was from bats. Meanwhile, one study suggests that viruses from bats are more deadly to humans due to their evolution, which enabled them to fly. Also, due to their resistance to inflammation, their bodies generate stronger immune responses when infected by more virulent viruses with faster growth rates.

ALSO READ: Paxlovid Significantly Reduced Hospital Admissions, Deaths in COVID-19 Patients During Omicron Wave

Plant Fungus Infects Human

For the first time in history, a pathogen leaped between two kingdoms when an Indian man was diagnosed with silver leaf disease. The 61-year-old mycologist reportedly developed a very bad silver leaf sickness in his throat. His neck CT X-ray scan revealed a pus-filled abscess next to his trachea.

Fungal infections in humans are common. Thrush, athlete's foot, and ringworm often settle in the wet areas of our skin. The plant-borne fungal illness, however, was distinct.

Cross-kingdom human infections and their possible plant reservoirs have important consequences for the spread of infectious illnesses, according to the experts. Plant illnesses in our neighborhood are rarely given much care, unlike superbug bacterial species and new viruses that arise from animal populations. Even if the likelihood of it happening is extremely low, it's still a possibility and should be considered.

RELATED ARTICLE: Long COVID Treatment: Will Pfizer's Paxlovid Finally Solve Today's Global Pandemic?

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