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Twelve deadly threats
Wed, October 15 2008
Bioharzard suits_generic copy Health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society have released a report that lists 12 pathogens that could spread into new regions as a result of climate change, potentially impacting human and wildlife health and global economies.
The best defence, according to the report’s authors, is a good offence in the form of wildlife monitoring to detect how these diseases are moving so health professionals can learn and prepare to mitigate their impact.
“The term ‘climate change’ conjures images of melting ice caps and rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities and nations, but just as important is how increasing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation levels will change the distribution of dangerous pathogens,” said Steven E. Sanderson, president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
“The health of wild animals is tightly linked to the ecosystems in which they live and influenced by the environment surrounding them, and even minor disturbances can have far reaching consequences on what diseases they might encounter and transmit as climate changes. Monitoring wildlife health will help us predict where those trouble spots will occur and plan how to prepare.”
The “Deadly Dozen” list — including such diseases as avian influenza, ebola, cholera, and tuberculosis — is illustrative only of the broad range of infectious diseases that threaten humans and animals, according to a WCS release.
In addition to disease threats, pathogens that originate from or move through wildlife populations also have the effect of destabilizing trade to a large extent and causing significant economic damage.
 
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