Tag: slowing

Video: Slowing deforestation is the key to preventing the next pandemic – but what does that cost?
TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

Video: Slowing deforestation is the key to preventing the next pandemic – but what does that cost?

In a recent journal article, a team of biologists, medical scientists, environmental scientists and conservationists proposed a number of measures to reduce the likelihood of future pandemics, many of which originate with wild animals such as bats. They argue that spending billions of dollars per year – a fraction of the cost of pandemics – on programs that reduce deforestation would curtail wildlife trade and support the communities that live on the forests’ edge. Les Kaufman, professor of biology at Boston University and a member of the team, spoke about what causes pandemics, and how we might prevent them. Boston University professor biology Les Kaufman talks about what causes pandemics, and how much it would cost to reduce their likelihood. What was this study trying to find? I helped...
Coronavirus control measures aren’t pointless – just slowing down the pandemic could save millions of lives
COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Coronavirus control measures aren’t pointless – just slowing down the pandemic could save millions of lives

Anywhere from 20% to 60% of the adults around the world may be infected with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. That’s the estimate from leading epidemiological experts on communicable disease dynamics. Even the best-case scenario using those numbers means nearly 40,000,000 adults will be infected in the United States alone. Some people may start to feel fatalistic in the face of those kinds of statistics. There are no vaccines and no specific treatments for people who get sick. What’s the point of fighting something that’s bound to happen anyway? Why not just let the epidemic run its course? But public health officials and medical professionals have been advocating for rapid and decisive efforts to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 as much an...