SARS came in 2003. MERS and H1N1 swine flu spread in 2009. Ebola also keeps spreading again and again. Zika virus has also not gone anywhere yet. Covid spread at the end of 2019. Then now monkeypox is spreading. These are some diseases that spread across the world in 15-20 years. All of these had only one source and that was animals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 1 billion people fall ill every year due to diseases spread by animals. Millions of them also die.
WHO also claims that in the last three decades, 30 new diseases have emerged in humans and 75% of these have spread due to animals. These diseases have spread by eating animals or keeping them captive.
What is the connection between monkeypox and monkey?
In the 1950s, polio was becoming a dangerous disease. Scientists were working on a vaccine for it. A large number of monkeys were needed for the trial of the vaccine. These monkeys were kept in the lab.
There was a similar lab in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1958, a strange disease was observed in the monkeys kept in the lab here. Smallpox-like rashes had appeared on the bodies of these monkeys. These monkeys were brought to Copenhagen from Malaysia. When these monkeys were examined, a new virus was found in them. This virus was named – Monkeypox.
Between 1958 and 1968, the monkeypox virus spread several times among hundreds of monkeys coming from Asia. At that time, scientists thought that this virus was spreading from Asia only. But when the blood test of thousands of monkeys from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan was done, antibodies against monkeypox were not found in them. This surprised the scientists, because even after years they were not able to find the origin source of this virus.
This is how the source was found out
Its mystery was solved in 1970, when for the first time a human was found infected by it. Then a 9-month-old child living in Congo developed rashes on his body. This case was surprising because smallpox had been completely eradicated from here in 1968. Later when the child’s sample was tested, monkeypox was confirmed in it.
After the first case of a human being infected with monkeypox was reported, when monkeys and squirrels were tested in many African countries, antibodies against monkeypox were found in them. This led scientists to speculate that the original source of monkeypox is Africa. This virus must have spread to Asian monkeys from Africa.
After this, apart from Congo, many cases of monkeypox virus in humans started coming up in many African countries including Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, South Sudan.
This virus spread outside Africa for the first time in 2003. Then a person was found infected with it in America. This infection spread to him from a pet dog. This dog was brought from the African country Ghana. Then its cases started coming in countries like Israel in September 2018, UK in May 2019, Singapore in December 2019. A person infected with monkeypox has also been confirmed in India. However, even after 50 years, many studies are being done on the infection and transmission of monkeypox.
So should we stay away from animals?
According to WHO, monkeypox is a disease that spreads from animals to humans. Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. This virus is part of the same Variola Virus family that causes smallpox. The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to smallpox. In very few cases, monkeypox proves fatal.
Regarding coronavirus, it was believed that it might have spread from bats or pangolins. Similarly, there is no such evidence about monkeypox yet. Singapore’s food agency believes that monkeypox can spread from meat coming from Africa.
Experts say that there is no need to be afraid of monkeys after hearing about monkeypox. Because once the transmission of a virus starts from humans to humans, then the role of animals reduces significantly.
Is the risk increasing by eating non-veg?
However, a few years ago scientists warned that Covid is not the last pandemic. More pandemics will be faced in the future. That is why we need to take a closer look at the diseases spreading among animals.
In 2013, a report was released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, which said that livestock health is the weakest link in our global health chain.
A report says that more than 90% of the meat in the world comes from factory farms. Animals are kept in cramped conditions in these farms. This increases the risk of spreading viral diseases.
So can becoming a vegetarian save you?
There is no straight forward answer to this. However, when Covid spread, WHO had warned against visiting animal markets and avoiding animals. After this, PETA, an organization working for animals, had said that by adopting a vegetarian diet, not only can one stay healthy, but many diseases can also be avoided.
According to a report, farming and related activities are carried out on an estimated 12 billion acres of land worldwide. Out of this, 68% of the land is used for animals. If all people become vegetarian, then 80% of the land can be used for animals and forests. The remaining 20% of the land can be used for farming. Because currently, one-third of the land used for farming is used to grow fodder for cattle.
Now the question arises whether we will have grains? The answer is ‘yes’. PETA says that raising animals for food is a loss-making deal. Because animals eat large amounts of grains and in return we get less eggs, meat or dairy products from them. To get 1 kg of meat from an animal, it has to be fed 10 kg of grains.
According to the Worldwatch Institute, we live in a world where 1 in 6 people are hungry. This is because grains are misused in the production of meat. If humans eat grains directly, then it can be used properly.
Not only this, vegan or vegetarian diet will also be economically beneficial. In an American study, scientists had estimated that if most people give up non-veg food, then 31 trillion dollars (2600 lakh crore rupees) can be saved by 2050.
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