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What can we learn from COVID-19?

Posted on March 23, 2020September 24, 2022

Just like everyone else, I can’t ignore it: the new corona virus. Most of the world is affected by the new virus and the consequences are massive. In times like these, the focus lies with decreasing the further spreading of the disease. Entire countries are in quarantine and it’s all you hear about on the news. Even though I understand that, I tried to look at the core of the problem the past days. How did this new virus arise and what is there to change so that this doesn’t happen again? What can we learn from COVID-19?

The core problem

In a way, it makes sense that most media platforms are talking about the consequences rather than where the problem came from. They’re here to inform the public. People need to know what to do and what not to do. You know, keep 1.5 meter distance, don’t go out of your house if you don’t have to, wash your hands frequently, all that. I truly get that, but I am missing the core problem. How did this virus arise in the first place? What are we doing wrong? I didn’t find much on the news, but luckily scientists are actually looking into that.

COVID-19

The new coronavirus, The Dutch ministry calls it COVID-19 but it is officially named SARS-CoV2. COVID-19 is zoonotic disease, a disease that is transferred from animals to humans (source). Up to 75% of all new diseases affecting people are zoonotic (source). Besides COVID-19, Ebola, Aviaire Influenza (bird flu) and salmonella are also zoonotic diseases. There are up to 150, but I won’t name all of them here.

There are many ways in which a zoonotic disease can be transferred from animals to humans, but the biggest source is eating animals. The research into the origin of the COVID-19 virus shows that it’s originated in a wild animal market in China (source). The disease has probably first occurred in a bat. Then the bat has transferred this to another animal and this animal was then brought to the Chinese wild animal market (source). The infected animal then came into contact with humans and from there it spread across the globe.

My personal interpretation

As research shows, the problem begins when we remove the animal from its natural habitat and come in contact with it. The virus wasn’t a problem when it was inside the bat and the other wild animal which it was transferred to. But the moment we take the animal from it’s natural habitat, domesticate it, or worse, slaughter it, the spread of the disease starts. So, apart from all the ethical reasons I can think of to not eat animals, there’s another good argument added to the list: zoonotic diseases that kill people.

If we did not eat or trade animals, this pandemic would not have occurred. 

And so, what we can learn from this massive problem which affects literally almost the entire world, COVID-19? We should not eat, domesticate or trade animals or animal products.

Not only wild animals

And even if you’re a Dutch person who lives in an urban area and think: my diet does not consist of wild animals. Well, if you eat an average Dutch diet, you do. Fish are wild animals, I’ve seen restaurants serve wild meat and during Christmas a lot of people hunt. And even then, zoonotic diseases are not only transferred to humans by eating wild animals. It also occurs when humans eat domesticated animals like chickens or cows. These animals do not always get sick from the virus, but they do transmit it to humans. A few examples are Aviaire Influenza, which can be transmitted mostly through chickens (source), Campylobacter, also transferred through mostly chickens (source) and listeria, which can be caused by eating all kinds of animal products (source).

For me personally zoonotic diseases are another good reasons to not eat, domesticate (yes, that also means no pets or horses) or trade animals.

That’s what I think we can learn from COVID-19. What do you think about zoonotic diseases?

Yours sincerely,
Romee 

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee Hoeksma and I am on a journey to an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle in which I have a more positive than negative impact on the beautiful planet earth. On this blog you can follow my journey to a life with only positive impact. At this blog you can find all sorts of things, from tips to recipes to personal experiences, but most of all fun (I hope!). I write about how I want to change the world, but don’t look at it as if I’m judging you. If anything, I like responses from my dear readers the most, so don’t hesitate to contact me or respond to any of my posts!

Yours sincerely,
Romee

Here’s what I posted most recently

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Oké, ik weet niet waarom ik dacht dat deze overgangen mooi zouden worden 😂. Ik post het toch maar, want ik vond het te grappig en tja, alle outfits zijn wel echt 100% tweedehands.. De afgelopen jaren heb ik geleerd hoe ik met weinig tot geen olie lekkere gerechten op tafel kan zetten (helemaal plantaardig uiteraard) 🌯. Weten hoe en waarom ik dat doe? Ik schreef er een artikel over die je nu kan vinden via de link in mijn bio. Dit is al het vegan eten wat ik at in Bratislava, Slowakije 🇸🇰. De stad heeft me verbaasd, want er zijn echt veel vegan restaurants. Moet je er 1 kiezen? Ga dan voor Balans Bistro, die is echt het beste. Vandaag maakte in voor het eerst sinds in veganistisch leef (6 jaar) weer eens quiche! Want ik kon nooit echt een simpel receptje vinden voor vegan quiche en dat schrok me af. Tot vandaag, want ik vond een recept van de Albert Heijn, met vegan kookroom en vegan ei van Plant B die ze sinds dit jaar verkopen. Op deze manier is het echt een makkie en quiche is dan ook zeker toegevoegd aan mijn kookportfolio! Ik ga dit vaker maken, en ook verschillende varianten. Het is zó makkelijk, maar wel heel lekker. Vandaag zat er eigenlijk alleen broccoli in, maar ik ben benieuwd naar wat nog meer mogelijk is. Vegan spekjes lijken me er bijvoorbeeld heerlijk in! 🥓 Als je gaat wandelen/hiken, kan je heel makkelijk positieve impact maken! Neem een klein zakje of tasje mee en raap al het afval wat je tegen komt op: easy peasy 🚮. Vandaag verscheen het laatste artikel op mijn blog over onze interrail avonturen. Je leest over hoe we met de trein van Kopenhagen terug naar Amsterdam reisden met de trein 🚃. De foto past er niet echt bij haha, hier ben ik namelijk aan het genieten van een vegan milkshake (met herbruikbaar rietje!) in Warschau, maar ach. Ik ben van mening dat je niet ver hoeft te reizen om mooie dingen te zien. Europa is prachtig! Dit is Boheems Zwitserland in Tsjechië 🇨🇿. Ik schrijf nog altijd over mijn interrail in september. Vandaag staat een verslag op mijn blog over reisdag 5 van de interrail: de treinreis van Warschau naar Kopenhagen. En als ik zo door de foto’s heen scrol mis ik de interrail toch wel een beetje! 🚃 Dit zijn 3 vegan hotspots in Dresden die ik zou aanraden 🌱. Moet je er 1 kiezen? Ga voor Der Dicke Schmidt, jeetje wat was dat goed.

Read my latest posts

  • Why I do not participate in lotteries
  • Cooking without oil
  • A list of all animal sanctuaries around the world
  • Copenhagen to Amsterdam by train
  • Warsaw to Copenhagen by train

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