Experts from the American biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks have warned that by 2050 the global death rate from zoonotic diseases (transmitted from animals to humans) could increase 12 times compared to current levels. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine BJM Global Health.
The team’s analysis looked at historical trends for four specific viral pathogens. We are talking about so-called filoviruses, which include the pathogens of Ebola fever and Marburg fever, Nipah virus, Machupo virus, as well as the SARS 1 coronavirus, which is the precursor of the COVID-19 pathogen.
The database examined covered 3,150 disease outbreaks in 24 countries from 1963 to 2019. These events resulted in 17,232 deaths; of these, 15,771 died due to filovirus infection.
During this period, the scale of the epidemic increased by almost 5 percent each year and the death rate increased by 9 percent, the researchers said.
“If these annual growth rates continue, we expect the analyzed pathogens to cause four times more adverse effects and 12 times more deaths in 2050 than in 2020,” the scientists said.
Experts also warned that epidemics caused by zoonoses may become more common in the near future due to climate change and deforestation.
Previous scientists saidWhat a person can become infected with from poultry and aquarium fish.