Introduction

How our abuse of nature makes pandemics like COVID-19 more likely
Adam Vaughan, 2021

From habitat degradation to squalid animal treatment, our part in allowing

"zoonotic" diseases like covid-19 to leap into humans is becoming ever
clearer

Summary

The objective of the article is while investigating the origins of COVID-

19 saying that the symptoms and sickness outbreaks came from animals'
diseases which are called zoonoses that are now more prone to humans than
ever before And if we don't act more on the things that we have already
known about the origins of COVID-19 we may be recurring the past when
COVID-19 had its 1st victim. But reported last year that 1.7 million
undiscovered diseases from animals have but not all is infectious. However,
approximately five new infectious diseases in humans are detected each year,
and microbes of animal origin cause 70% of emerging diseases. While there
is still no antidote for Nipah, which kills up to 75% of those infected. Another
case in point is the Hendra virus in Australia, where deforestation has been
related to bats carrying the virus infecting humans and horses. SARS-CoV-2,
which was originally thought to have originated in a bat, could one day be
added to the list.

Methods used are Interview as they interviewed the scientists about the
origins of COVID-19 they have successfully gathered the needed information
for the study, Experiment on the other hand Given that they have
experimented on various animals if their carried disease were to infect
humans, after many trials and error the ones giving the experiment reached a
conclusion that not all 1.7 million diseases carried by these animals are
infectious, Readings and Observation trials do not contain all the information
they have gathered has been sourced by their experiments or their research,
other researches about the diseases animals carry are found in earlier studies
and theses, they have combined their studies to thoroughly understand their
study better and sow better results based on the studies given in the present
and the past studies, Case study is the most important advantage of case
studies is that they allow for a comprehensive analysis. Unlike standalone
research strategies that provide more of a snapshot, such as surveys, a case
study allows a researcher to use a variety of tools on one topic. This allows
time and space to develop a comprehensive understanding of the subject,
providing a firm base from which to examine the factors affecting the case
study in greater depth.
Findings/Claims

Disturbed Habitats- According to case studies, when we disturb

ecosystems, we alter the animal population in ways that increase disease risk.
Consider Lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks found in the northern
hemisphere. As habitats degrade, less larger-bodied species that are better at
removing ticks thrive, whereas smaller tick-friendly species like rodents thrive.
More hosts mean more ticks to bite us and an increased chance of disease
transmission.

Not being careful of our surroundings- Individual decisions made in all parts of
the world can also play a role. As Daszak points out, the encroachment of
humans into biodiverse areas is mainly to fulfill the demand for products in
richer countries, such as palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia or meat from
South American cattle ranches. "We are dozing off into these disasters. We
simply need to be more aware of the choices we make," says Redding.
"Consumers make choices that affect the probability of potential spillovers."
According to Keesing, five types of animals are most likely to bear zoonotic
diseases that spread to humans. Rats, bats, primates, carnivores like cats
and dogs, and cloven-hoofed animals like horses, goats, cows, and camels
are among them. Camels are the source of infection for the coronavirus that
causes Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, which has caused
intermittent outbreaks since its discovery in 2012.

How these diseases infect humans- Pathogens that some species host
includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, and various parasites. They can be
transmitted to humans by direct touches, such as consuming the animal.
However, another host is sometimes used as an intermediary. SARS-CoV-2,
the virus that caused the covid-19 pandemic, may have spread to humans
from an original bat host through anteater-like animals called pangolins,
according to genetic analysis. When a virus infects a person, the danger
begins when it successfully replicates in them. Fortunately, most animal
viruses are incapable of doing so. To have the potential to cause an outbreak,
a pathogen must be able to spread from person to person, which SARS-CoV-
2 did. Finally, if a pathogen has the ability to reproduce in humans, it will
evolve, as SARS-CoV-2 has with its new variants – or as HIV (human
immunodeficiency virus) did, ultimately becoming a human-only virus, as its
name implies.

Review/Critique

Appropriateness of the methods used

For me, the methods used in this research are also exemplary because
it really connects to the study given which as they interview doctors to see
whether they think these new founded diseases are infectious to humans also
by trial and error they were able to reach a conclusion that the 1.7 million
diseases that are found in animals can't become a human virus at any point of
time, also basing on the observations and reading passed through other
theses and past studies they went observed with experimenting whether the
information was correct, and by using case study as their primary method of
researching they were able to get on-point results and allow themselves to get
a better understanding of the said topic by having more information through
examining the information already given and will be discovered later on, also
on the theories they used such as finding out how a animal disease can be
able to form into a human virus which is a right theory to use but may cause
trial and error to produce quality results, The writer on the other hand has
explained the study very deliberately to let the people understand the study
more, they have used experts to make sure that the fruit of their research is
as precise and professionally ethical for other researcher to also use in the
future, The ideas are coherent and easy to understand rather than reading
other professional theses and studies such as the ones found in google
scholar and web-MD.

Conclusion

My overall opinion of the article is that it is very insightful and that I learned a
lot from it, including how these viruses started with a simple animal but
developed into a deadly virus that has forced people to be more vigilant about
their environments and direct interaction with other people to avoid this
lockdown from repeating, as well as the other results that they have
presented.