Ebola continues to be the focus of the media stratosphere as it ravages the marginalized communities in various countries on the African continent. It’s popularity second to none. Closely followed by MERS-CoV, Ebola continues to spread at an unprecedented rate. The global public health sectors continue to build barricades and adopt practices strategically in hopes of resisting the very spread of the virus. Looking back; SARS, MERS and many others had sprouted from undervalued and over looked communities. The social and healthcare infrastructures in regions where Ebola gained its momentum were just the right kind of culture mediums. The poor social cultural determinants of health that portrayed these culture mediums facilitated the unrestricted evolution of the pathogen. It provided for disease propagation, ensuring a high incidence of cases.
As most of us are familiar with, human viruses have animal origins. The human populations in parts of the developing world have no supports for poverty, healthcare or financial security. These communities then resort to making the best use of their immediate surroundings. The jungle is where they look to. The warm tropical environment where intensive contact between animals and humans are possible, is exactly where look for food sources. This is when novel viruses “jump ship”! If we are to truly understand and mobilize our resources against emerging infectious agents, we must sustainably cut off these modalities of viral contact.
We live in an inequitable ecosystem that sustains the very fittest. By failing to adequately provide for the underprivileged in the developing world, we are ensuring a climate of pathogen evolution. Most importantly are we ensuring the emergence and re-emergence of infectious agents?
Recently, we came across an inspiring TED talk by Dr. Nathan Wolfe, regarding the very same concerns. He speaks of capturing the moments when viral agents “jump ship”. Check out the video. Ultimately it is important to recognize the work by the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative (GVFI). But the need for its expansion is immediate. Our understanding of such matters places an onerous responsibility on our very shoulders. One that must be globally addressed.
