Climate Change, Health and COVID-19
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences September 23, 2020
Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH Professor and John P Holton Chair of Health and the Environment Director, Global Health Institute, UW-Madison Faculty appts: Nelson Institute & Dept. Population Health Sciences Photo: NBC News OUTLINE
1. Social and economic causes of the rise of SARS-CoV-2 now causing the COVID-19 pandemic
2. Ecological & environmental causes: human intrusion into, and disruption of nature
3. Preventing an even larger global health emergency: lessons learned from the current pandemic 1) Social and economic causes of the rise of a new virus now causing the COVID-19 pandemic “Wet Markets” and illegal wildlife markets
• Legal wildlife industry in China initiated to provide income to poor peasants in China – but it’s the wealthy who drive this market and consume the products
• Illegal wildlife trading occurs worldwide
• Stacked cages of wildlife in “wet markets” creates unnatural environment for diseases to “spill over” from one species to another We live in a globalized world – a disease outbreak anywhere, can reach people everywhere
Courtesy: Peter Daszak, EcoHealth Alliance 2) Ecological & environmental causes: human intrusion into, and disruption of nature Genes from HIV viruses of other primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) found in infected African bushmeat hunters.
Taylor et al. 2001
A majority of newly emerging diseasesAn in animal that carries diseases that are part of humans are “zoonoses” (come from animals)the virus, bacteria, or parasite’s life cycle are called “Reservoir Hosts”
Wolfe N D et al. PNAS 2005;102:7994-7999 ©2005 by National Academy of Sciences change landuse Climate change & involved as first initiators
Courtesy: Prof. Raina Plowright Hendra virus, Australia
Dr. Raina Plowright
Deforestation & Hendra Virus Source: Professor Raina Plowright
Loss of winter nectar resources due to forest destruction causes food-starved bats to
relocate to agricultural and urban landscapes E F I
where they infect horses and horses infect L D
people L I W N A M ON I T HU - C E A F I R L D TE L N I I W NS A M HORSES HORSES AND HU Photo credit : Hume Field Studies in Australia, Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Ghana Land use change
• Biggest cause of disease , 2004 emergence Environmental Health Perspectives • Biggest threat to conservation • Major driver of climate change • Drives economic growth, but also diseases like malaria, ebola, and Hendra virus ...and now SARS-CoV-2
Courtesy: Peter Daszak, EcoHealth Alliance Forest Disturbance in the Amazon