Towards the end of December last year, Wuhan city reported the first case of a novel virus now known corronavirus, which causes Covid-19 disease. For instance, influenza, cholera and Asian flu pandemics that were witnessed in the 20th Century to the current cases of Ebola and Covid-19 demonstrate the strong linkage between infectious diseases and the destruction of nature. Historically, several diseases have been transmitted from animals to human beings eg lassa fever, nipah, SARS, zika and West Nile virus, rabies and plague. Covid-19, like other pandemics in the past, demonstrate the need for sustainable actions that are sensitive to the natural environment we live in. There is need to reexamine linkages between human health and conservation of the planet and apply precautionary principles in situations where connectivity cannot be established.

Source: The Star May 02, 2020 04:41 UTC