A leading Oxford Scientist has warned that more animal-to-human disease outbreaks should be expected to emerge in the future.
Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is heading the development of Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine, says human activity is driving the rising threat of viruses and that the risk is unlikely to reduce as globalisation continues.
She said, “Greater population density, greater travel, deforestation – all of these things make it more likely that these outbreaks will happen and then something will spread.
“Because of the way things have been going in the world, it’s more likely we’ll have zoonotic infections causing outbreaks in the future.”
Professor Gilbert also said that, the current pandemic has highlighted how international travel intensifies the spread of these viruses and larger populations make them more difficult to eradicate. She reiterated that increased global travel and population growth is increasing the risk of zoonotic infection outbreaks
A zoonotic infection is a disease caused by a pathogen, such as a bacterium or virus that has jumped from an animal to a human.
Most researchers believe COVID-19 emerged in bats and infected humans via another animal, probably in a market in Wuhan, China, where the virus was first detected.
Other deadly diseases such as Ebola, Sars and the West Nile Virus have also originated in animals.
WHO estimates 75% of all new and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they come from animals. In total, 60% of all infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic
Professor Delia Randolph, veterinary epidemiologist and lead author of the UN report, described a “very clear trend” since the 1930s which showed that 75 percent of emerging human diseases originated from wildlife.
She determined that, the destruction of animal habitats forces them to come into closer contact with humans, increasing the risk of disease transmission.
Trials of the potential coronavirus vaccine being developed at the University of Oxford have suggested it is safe and induces an immune response to the disease.
The project is currently waiting for the results of phase three trials and if a high level of efficacy is proven, a vaccine could be available by the end of the year.
Oxford’s pharmaceutical partner in the project, AstraZeneca, has committed to producing two billion doses by next summer.
The vaccine, called AZD1222, uses a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) which causes infections in chimpanzees and is being trialled in tens of thousands of volunteers in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and the US.
It is hoped it will make the body recognise and develop an immune response to the spike protein, recognisable in images of the virus, that will help stop COVID-19 from entering human cells and therefore prevent infection.
Other vaccines in development have entered into the same stage, and Professor Gilbert said there was a “very good chance” some would prove effective.
“We’ve seen good levels of neutralizing antibodies, we’re seeing strong T-cell responses from some of them. If this works, other vaccines will also work. We expect there to be multiple vaccines,” she added.
