Following science, understanding the ecosystem is the only way to avoid a pandemic-News-Repository

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread throughout the world, bringing fear, illness and death to all countries, but for humanity who wants to control the environment and continue population growth, progress, prosperity, pandemics and new infectious diseases. Despite wishes, it is important to understand that it has been constant throughout human history.

It’s great to believe that modern medicine and technology can be used to prevent such disasters, but it reminds us that the natural order is not always in control. The current situation around the world is the latest reminder that humans are part of a much larger web of life on earth. If we want to continue the procession of civilization, we must organize our resources and use the intelligence that has brought us so far.

Plague and epidemics precede the history of humankind, regularly driving the early civilizations of ancient times. The epidemic dominated the Roman Empire for centuries before Christ, and in the Middle Ages the death of blacks was killed between one-third and one-half of the European and Asian populations, respectively. The arrival of Spanish, English and French in the New Millennium in the middle of the last Millennium caused smallpox and other illnesses and wiped out tens of millions of Native Americans. And in modern times, history students know that the Spanish flu killed tens of millions of youths, including youths, in a million pandemics. Despite its name, the flu first began in western Kansas.

Most people are quite afraid of this new illness and want to protect themselves and their families’ health and well-being. I also want to help my neighbors and the community, but the people who deny and pretend are human nature. The tragedy simply leaves. Others turn fear into anger and confront the turmoil and changes that arrive. Witness a political protest that recently erupted in the state capital. A much better response is to learn the facts, understand new realities, follow expert advice, and prepare for change. Things do not completely return to their original state.

The HIV / AIDS pandemic was a much slower disaster that began in 1981. It was characterized by fear, anger, and denial. It is also believed to have been a virus that jumps from animals to humans.

Society initially ignored it as it infected heterogeneous and marginal groups. President Reagan hadn’t famously spoken until 1985, when his friend Rock Hudson was struck. Stigma and prejudice surrounded those at risk.

The HIV pandemic changed my life, including myself. After losing dozens of friends in Ohio and Michigan, I switched careers in 1987 to focus exclusively on AIDS preventive education. We started from scratch and helped develop action-based programs to reduce risk and educate society. It took four years to develop an antibody test and another ten years to discover interventions and drugs to reduce mortality.

Since 1981, AIDS has claimed 32 million casualties, and the number continues to grow. Interestingly, Dr. Anthony Fauci was a leader and hero in the fight against AIDS. Today he is the most respected COVID-19 expert in America.

Serious changes in society have been attributed to the global epidemic of HIV, including sex education, viral and behavioral medicine, drug treatment, marriage law, health privacy, and changing lifestyle choices. Coronaviruses will also bring long-term changes.

As with HIV / AIDS, politics and refusal have delayed the response to COVID-19, wasting precious time. Now the first impact on society has diminished and the real work continues. If we are wise, we will hear from experts in medicine, virology, epidemiology and public health. We follow their guidelines, increase research on treatment and vaccines, eventually increase testing, and hopefully learn from our mistakes. We take care of illness, protect the elderly and rebuild the economy.

Leaders emerge and, ideally, a newly recognized appreciation of the essential workers who were doing things in a mess. But the crisis will not end by Memorial Day, July 4, or Labor Day. The plague can take more lives this fall and winter. What we have may not include packing thousands of people like sardines on a cruise ship or crushing hundreds of travelers on each other’s knees by plane A new standard.

Learning from history and following science, you will eventually understand that humanity is part of a finite ecosystem that is interconnected and more fragile than we ever thought. With a human population of nearly 8 billion, we will learn to live in harmony with nature in a more sustainable way. There are quite a few alternatives.

Craig Covey is a health education consultant for the Michigan Department of Regional Health and was responsible for the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project from 1987 to 2009. He lives in Stark County.