Maintaining Animal Habits Behind Homes Become Epidemic Time Bombs
ChannelRakyat. Experts in infectious diseases in Australia say the increasing habit of raising livestock behind houses has the potential to become a time bomb for spreading epidemics.
The director of research at the main research institute in Australia CSIRO for Health and Biosecurity Paul De Barro said there was an increasing risk that the chickens, pigs or goats that were raised could be carriers of epidemics of deadly diseases.
Pets, especially in the suburbs and cities, are exposed to wild animals, such as bats, which carry diseases such as the Hendra or Nipah viruses.
"When urban populations spread, they move to forested areas, natural areas and because of that we are getting closer to wild animals," he told ABC.
"Climate change is also considered a trigger factor, where we see animals changing their behavior such as flying bats that are becoming increasingly common in urban areas - 50 years ago, that was not found."
"When we get this change, the risk of possible spread from animals to humans is increasing."
Outbreaks are difficult to predict (and dammed)
According to Dr. de Barro, the risk of the spread of disease from animals to humans can also be experienced by those who live in urban areas.
He said for example there was an outbreak of bird flu, the authorities in Australia would not know who owns chicken, or where, because of the registration of animal ownership here.
So he said the effort to stem the epidemic was impossible.
"What we don't know is when they will happen, we don't know the frequency and we don't even know the scale or the consequences," he said.
"There could be some people who are victims but maybe hundreds of people die."
According to Dr. de Barro, scientists also until now have not understood how a disease can move from wild animals to pets and then to humans.
"The supervision we have for these diseases spread by animals to humans is not yet adequate," said Dr. de Barro.
"I can't explain why, or under what conditions, a virus like Hendra moves from a bat transmitted to a horse and then spreads to humans, so it's difficult to make predictions about its possibilities."
The ongoing national survey of wildlife and the diseases they carry are very important to reduce risk, said Dr. De Barro.
"We don't really know what diseases exist in native birds, marsupials, bats," he said.
"And we don't monitor the frequency of these diseases, so I can't explain whether the virus buildup in certain animals in certain suburbs."
Dr de Barro acknowledged that outbreaks were rare in Australia, but he warned that the chance of this happening was around us.
"In the north we are the 'hot region' of Asia, which is Southeast Asia where there is frequent spread of epidemics because there are residents living side by side with pigs and poultry and other wild animals," he said.
The director of research at the main research institute in Australia CSIRO for Health and Biosecurity Paul De Barro said there was an increasing risk that the chickens, pigs or goats that were raised could be carriers of epidemics of deadly diseases.
Pets, especially in the suburbs and cities, are exposed to wild animals, such as bats, which carry diseases such as the Hendra or Nipah viruses.
"When urban populations spread, they move to forested areas, natural areas and because of that we are getting closer to wild animals," he told ABC.
"Climate change is also considered a trigger factor, where we see animals changing their behavior such as flying bats that are becoming increasingly common in urban areas - 50 years ago, that was not found."
"When we get this change, the risk of possible spread from animals to humans is increasing."
Outbreaks are difficult to predict (and dammed)
According to Dr. de Barro, the risk of the spread of disease from animals to humans can also be experienced by those who live in urban areas.
He said for example there was an outbreak of bird flu, the authorities in Australia would not know who owns chicken, or where, because of the registration of animal ownership here.
So he said the effort to stem the epidemic was impossible.
"What we don't know is when they will happen, we don't know the frequency and we don't even know the scale or the consequences," he said.
"There could be some people who are victims but maybe hundreds of people die."
According to Dr. de Barro, scientists also until now have not understood how a disease can move from wild animals to pets and then to humans.
"The supervision we have for these diseases spread by animals to humans is not yet adequate," said Dr. de Barro.
"I can't explain why, or under what conditions, a virus like Hendra moves from a bat transmitted to a horse and then spreads to humans, so it's difficult to make predictions about its possibilities."
The ongoing national survey of wildlife and the diseases they carry are very important to reduce risk, said Dr. De Barro.
"We don't really know what diseases exist in native birds, marsupials, bats," he said.
"And we don't monitor the frequency of these diseases, so I can't explain whether the virus buildup in certain animals in certain suburbs."
Dr de Barro acknowledged that outbreaks were rare in Australia, but he warned that the chance of this happening was around us.
"In the north we are the 'hot region' of Asia, which is Southeast Asia where there is frequent spread of epidemics because there are residents living side by side with pigs and poultry and other wild animals," he said.
Komentar
Posting Komentar