Coronavirus like Zoonotic disease on the rise due to environmental degradation claims UN

Experts from the United Nations have claimed in a report that the frequency of Zoonotic diseases is on the rise and will continue to pose a threat until action is taken to preserve wildlife.  According to reports, Zootonic diseases are those that jump from animals to humans, the COVID-19 coronavirus that has spread and devasted many countries around the world.

Humans must learn to preserve wildlife

As per reports, Ebola, West Nile virus and even SARS are Zoonotic viruses that made the jump from animals to humans. A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Livestock Research Institute states that this jump from animals to humans is not strictly natural and the process has been exasperated by the degradation of the natural environment by humans. Examples of the degradation that the report mentions are land degradation, wildlife exploitation, resource extraction and climate change.

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As per reports, under-secretary-general and executive director of the UN Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, has stated that humanity has experienced 6 new strains of coronaviruses in the last century. She added that in the last two decades, not counting COVID-19, Zoonotic viruses have caused a loss of approximately $100 billion.

Inger Andersen provided more statistics in her statement and claimed that around 2 million people in low-middle income countries die each year due to untreated Zoonotic viruses such as anthrax and rabies. Anderson added that coincidently meat production has also increased 260 per cent is just the last 50 years.

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According to reports, Anderson claimed that with the increase in human population across the globe, agricultural production, infrastructure and extracted resources have also increased exponentially at the cost of spaces for wildlife. The report states that if humans continue to exploit wildlife and destroy ecosystems then there will continue to be a rise in new and deadlier Zoonotic diseases.

The deadly coronavirus epidemic that began in China late last year has already infected 11,589,382 people worldwide and had a global death toll of 537,419. The UN report estimates that COVID-19 will cost the world $9 trillion in the next two years.

(Representative Image)