More Monsters at the Door

March 25, 2021

With the catastrophy of the Covid19 pandemic seared into our collective psyche, epidemiologists are now forming a picture of what new horrors the future may bring. There is substantial concern within the scientific community over the possible emergence of new disease vectors; there is even a name for the illness caused by this yet to be discovered entity; "Disease X."  It has been estimated that there are 1.6 million different viruses on the earth, of which only 263 have shown to cause disease. Scientists at EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit organization that "develops science-based solutions to prevent pandemics and promote conservation" are determined to build an overall picture of the high risk areas of the global pandemic map, tentatively referred to as the "Global Virome Project".

EcoHealth Alliance scientists are performing extensive sampling of humans and wildlife material in order to track and discover new viruses. According to President Dr. Peter Daszak, in a decade it should be possible to identify and categorize discover 71 percent of those undiscovered viruses. At an approximate cost of just $1.2 billion dollars. When compared to the astronomical costs of dealing with a major outbreak, the investment seems like a terrific bargain. 

With adequate time to prepare, and taking into account the wealth of knowledge gained fro the Covid19 pandemic, it should be possible to prevent the worst outcomes emerging from these new, as yet undiscovered malefactors. In the meantime, in the forests, swamps and caves throughout the world, viruses that can ignite future pandemics lie quietly awaiting their turn.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

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