BF2S Forums Pandemic thread

In China, all research into the origins of the virus must go through prior vetting as part of a new policy, according to notices seen by the Guardian.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2020-04-29 17:07:46)

Dilbert_X wrote:

However the last umpteen pandemics have been driven by bush meat consumption so lets be radical and say the last umpteen pandemics have been driven by bush meat consumption.

Harvesting bush meat and delivering it to urban centres as a delicacy is unnecessary and retarded.
That it also cross-contaminates farming areas is another no-brainer.

So what in summary is the argument? People should carry on eating bats because they'll just catch something from something eventually anyway?
The article doesn't even say that.

In China, all research into the origins of the virus must go through prior vetting as part of a new policy, according to notices seen by the Guardian.

Most likely Ken's article is govt sponsored propaganda designed to deflect attention.

“Bat-borne coronaviruses will cause more outbreaks,” Shi says with a tone of brooding certainty. “We must find them before they find us.” 

Not catching and eating wild bats seems like a no-brainer in the meantime.

Dubbed “Batwoman” of Wuhan by her colleagues after years of virus-hunting expeditions in bat caves she described as “spellbinding”, Shi Zenghli has been warning the world for years that the wildlife trade of bats, civets, and other animals was a recipe for disaster.

Five years ago, she was a co-author of a paper that contained a public warning that the SARS virus outbreak “heralded a new era in the cross-species transmission of severe respiratory illness with globalisation leading to rapid spread around the world and massive economic impact.”

“Although public health measures were able to stop the SARS-CoV outbreak, recent metagenomics studies have identified sequences of closely related SARS-like viruses circulating in Chinese bat populations that may pose a future threat,’’ the paper states.

...

In the presentation, she warned that more SARS-style viruses were lurking in bat caves and humans were to blame for putting “pig farms next to bat colonies”.

Last edited by uziq (2020-04-30 04:15:42)

Given that some China's earliest COVID-19 patients were connected to the Hunan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, it is likely the seafood market played a role in amplifying the virus. However, there is not enough evidence to prove that is where the virus transmitted from animals to humans. There is also evidence emerging that among the first 41 patients hospitalized in China, 13 had no connection to this particular marketplace. The path of the pathogen is still unknown.

Peter Daszak, President of the U.S.-based non-profit Ecohealth Alliance, says that even if bats are the origin, they are not to blame for the pandemic.

"It's not bats. It's us. It's what we do to bats that drives this pandemic risk," Daszak said. His research demonstrates how interactions between wildlife and livestock, food and agriculture practices, as well as humans close proximity to animals in densely populated areas, create the conditions for viral outbreaks.

"I'm so angry right now. This COVID-19 outbreak, before January 20th, you could say it's China's fault. The Chinese government. But after January 20th, the rest of the world is still not taking it seriously. Our political system, our diplomatic system, our international relationship system is just not ready," Wang said.