How do humans increase the transmission of infectious diseases? American scientists got to work on that question. Their results were published today in the leading scientific journal Nature. But what exactly did they find out? And what is the impact of this knowledge on our lives?
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Loss of biodiversity, climate change, pollution, introduced animal and plant species, … these are all consequences of human activity that can have an impact on how easily infectious diseases can spread. We are therefore responsible for the increase that is being seen. But which global changes most increase the risk of disease, and under what circumstances, have remained unclear until now.
That’s why the scientists examined nearly 3,000 documented observations of the impact of global change on infectious diseases. This involved almost 1,500 different combinations of parasite and host. The largest increases in the spread of infectious diseases were seen due to loss of biodiversity, climate change, chemical pollution and the introduction of new species into an environment.
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The researchers saw the greatest impact as a loss of biodiversity. When species disappear, this causes an 857% increase in the transmission of infectious diseases. That is 393% greater than the case for chemical pollution, 111% compared to climate change and 65% greater than when humans introduce new species into their environment. This pattern was seen for infectious diseases in both humans and non-human organisms. Urbanization in turn ensures that there is a decrease in disease transmission. According to the scientists, this is likely due to factors such as improved sanitation and loss of habitat for parasites.
These insights can help us improve things like detecting and managing diseases by taking into account changes that we ourselves cause. In addition, it also tells us how we can prevent the spread of infectious diseases. For example, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and better protecting and managing our ecosystems.
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Tags: Scientists unravel impact activities spread infectious diseases factor increases transmission Martijn Peters
