Items
topic_interest is exactly
herd
-
2021-01-25
Why camels are worrying coronavirus hunters
In northern Kenya, researchers are working to prevent a dangerous coronavirus – Mers – from jumping from camels to humans again. But climate change is making their job more difficult. I It’s thought that Covid-19 originated in animals before jumping to humans. Now experts are warning that the chances are the next pandemic will, too. Seventy-five percent of the newly emerging diseases currently affecting people originate in animals, according to Predict, a US government-funded collaboration by infectious disease experts across the globe. Already, Predict scientists have identified 1,200 new zoonotic, or animal-borne, diseases. But scientists estimate there are some 700,000 more zoonotic diseases we don’t even know about yet. ... “That infection” is Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), a novel coronavirus that so far has proven to be at least 10 times more deadly than Covid-19. It was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2012. By 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) had identified “1,761 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Mers-CoV, including at least 629 related deaths”. Later that year, an outbreak at a hospital raised the alarm that it’s not just camel herders who are susceptible to the disease, but anyone at all. But while camels can be carriers, the Mers threat to humans is mostly man-made. As human-induced climate change makes droughts more frequent, prolonged, and severe, herders have had to abandon cows and other livestock for camels because only they can survive weeks without water. The result is a growing number of camels in close contact with humans – the perfect conditions for the spread of a deadly disease. Mers causes the same sorts of respiratory system complications as Covid-19, including pneumonia. Symptoms often start with nasal congestion, a cough, chest pains, or difficulty breathing. In the worst cases, it may cause fibrosis – irreversible scarring – in the lungs. This can be deadly. More than one-third of all humans known to have contracted Mers have died from it, according to the WHO. Once it jumps from animals to humans, a Mers outbreak could grow rapidly. Saudi Arabia alone saw 15 people infected in December 2019 and January 2020 – three of whom were hospital workers infected by their patients. “The fact that RNA viruses such as coronaviruses mutate means you never know what could happen with that particular virus,” says Zimmerman. -
2020-07-06
Herd Immunity Isn't Going to Work
I had become fairly ill in December with a respiratory illness that was never diagnosed, but went away after a round of antibiotics. Feeling like I was on the verge of death for over 10 days, I assumed that with the announcement of coronavirus I had already had the illness. I felt safe to try and get back as close to normal as I could, but the overwhelming scientific consensus seems to be that herd immunity may just not be a real idea. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #herdimmunity. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it speaks towards the scientific community trying to convince the public that herd immunity is not a thing. Linked article: (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31482-3/fulltext) -
2020-07-06
Debating Herd Immunity
I am pretty sure that I had the coronavirus in December. Speaking with friends and family members, there are multiple instance of people feeling as though they have already been sick and feeling comfortable about heading back out into the world. As evidenced by the study discussed in the article, this may not prove to be as smart as we imagined. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #herdimmunity. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it shares an article discussing herd immunity, a recent hot button issue that has been thrown around in the reopening debate. Link to the CNN article: (https://twitter.com/Boyanbc/status/1280216226128633865)