The Origin of COVID-19 and Why It Matters

The COVID-19 pandemic is among the deadliest infectious diseases to have emerged in recent history. As with all past pandemics, the specific mechanism of its emergence in humans remains unknown. Nevertheless, a large body of virologic, epidemiologic, veterinary, and ecologic data establishes that th...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Jg. 103; H. 3; S. 955
Hauptverfasser: Morens, David M, Breman, Joel G, Calisher, Charles H, Doherty, Peter C, Hahn, Beatrice H, Keusch, Gerald T, Kramer, Laura D, LeDuc, James W, Monath, Thomas P, Taubenberger, Jeffery K
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: United States 01.09.2020
Schlagworte:
Animals
Betacoronavirus - classification
Betacoronavirus - genetics
Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification
Chiroptera - virology
Coronavirus Infections - etiology
Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control
Coronavirus Infections - transmission
COVID-19
Humans
Pandemics - prevention & control
Pneumonia, Viral - etiology
Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control
Pneumonia, Viral - transmission
Public Health
SARS-CoV-2
ISSN:1476-1645, 1476-1645
Online-Zugang:Weitere Angaben
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The COVID-19 pandemic is among the deadliest infectious diseases to have emerged in recent history. As with all past pandemics, the specific mechanism of its emergence in humans remains unknown. Nevertheless, a large body of virologic, epidemiologic, veterinary, and ecologic data establishes that the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, evolved directly or indirectly from a β-coronavirus in the sarbecovirus (SARS-like virus) group that naturally infect bats and pangolins in Asia and Southeast Asia. Scientists have warned for decades that such sarbecoviruses are poised to emerge again and again, identified risk factors, and argued for enhanced pandemic prevention and control efforts. Unfortunately, few such preventive actions were taken resulting in the latest coronavirus emergence detected in late 2019 which quickly spread pandemically. The risk of similar coronavirus outbreaks in the future remains high. In addition to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, we must undertake vigorous scientific, public health, and societal actions, including significantly increased funding for basic and applied research addressing disease emergence, to prevent this tragic history from repeating itself.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1476-1645
1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.20-0849