Thousands of Covid-like cases raise risk of future pandemicsFilipino bat ecologists Phillip Alviola and Kirk Taray set up a mist net near a bat roost at Mount Makiling in Los Banos, Laguna province, Philippines, Feb 18, 2021. Humans are continually exposed to bat coronaviruses, he said. Animal IntermediariesThat makes the risk of exposure to animal viruses in nature “far, far greater than any possible exposure in a lab,” Holmes said. Wildlife hunting, trading, farming and consumption is common across this region, increasing the risk of exposure to bat-borne viruses, Daszak said. “This isn’t about finding viruses and saying ‘this country is a high risk to the rest of the world,’” Daszak said.

Source: Bangkok Post September 15, 2021 07:30 UTC