Covid-19 Lessons: How to Avert Future Pandemics

The advent of Covid-19 pandemic has led to global unprecedented challenges. The virus has led to economic downfall, many people have lost their jobs, many businesses have been interrupted and schools closed among other adverse effects. 

The deadly virus almost brought everything to a standstill as the world grappled with the new reality. However, some of the challenges bred by Covid-19 led to the emergence of innovative ideas to mitigate the negative impact of the virus.

Most countries are still battling with the surging numbers of Covid-19 cases. According to International Covid-19 Data Alliance (ICODA), a lot of investment has been geared towards establishing the relevance of information that is shared.

Data integrity forms the basis of battling with any form of pandemic. During the nascent stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, there were many sorts of misinformation and misconception. Most people took it as a joke and continued breaching government sanctioned protocols.

The exact cause of Covid-19 outbreak is yet to be known. However, some reports have alleged that its cause was spread from wildlife to human beings and regard the virus as a zoonotic disease. Basing on the unsubstantiated reports, future pandemics may be prevented by banning nonessential wildlife hunting and through the establishment of wildlife disease surveillance programmes.

Future pandemics can also be prevented through justifiable interaction of human beings with nature. Humans should avoid encroaching the wildlife habitat. Apart from Covid-19, other zoonotic diseases are SARS, Ebola, MERS and Zika. However, none of this has had a greater impact like Covid-19.

Scientists issued a stern warning on the need to protect the land and wildlife to avoid future pandemics. According to a research conducted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the risk of contracting new diseases has been increased due to human-driven devastation.

Covid-19 is believed to be the sixth pandemic since the outbreak of influenza in 1918. The destruction of forests, the habitat of wildlife, has exposed humans around the forest to disease contraction. Climate change can also result to pandemics due to animals migrating as a result of rising temperatures.