Virologist Shi Zhengli is a leading expert in studying SARS-like viruses from bats, nicknamed the "bat lady". Dr. Shi has just issued a warning in a recently published study.
She asserted that the world must prepare for another disease similar to COVID-19 because if a coronavirus causing the disease has emerged before, there is a high risk that it will return, according to the South China Morning Post.
The coronavirus family includes two fearsome species, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, which caused the previous SARS and COVID-19 pandemics, killing many people globally.
Dr. Shi Zhengli (standing) in the laboratory - Photo: AP
In this study, Dr. Shi's team from the Wuhan Institute of Virology assessed the risk of spreading to humans of 40 coronaviruses, and half of them were considered "high risk".
Of these, there is evidence that six species cause disease in humans, and the remaining three species cause disease or have the potential to infect other animal species.
The study warns: "It is almost certain that the disease will emerge in the future and it is very likely that the coronavirus pandemic will recur."
The study is based on analysis of virus characteristics, including population, genetic diversity, host species, and any previous history of zoonotic disease transmission.
The authors also identified important hosts of high-risk pathogens, including natural hosts (such as bats and rodents) or possible intermediate hosts (including camels, civets, pigs, or pangolins).
They also point to rapid and highly accurate testing tools that could be used to proactively monitor these high-risk viruses.
The scientific paper was published in the English-language journal Emerging Microbes & Infections in July. However, it only gained attention on Chinese social media this month.
Many Chinese virologists are reluctant to comment on Shi's latest research because of the heightened sensitivity surrounding her work.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology is also at the center of much skepticism and controversy surrounding the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Some have argued that the strange and dangerous virus may have leaked from the institute’s lab, turning Wuhan into the world’s first epicenter of the pandemic.
Source
Comment (0)