Ebola and deforestation

10/10/2014

How saving West African forests might have prevented the Ebola epidemic

How do you think this could have an effect after the Ebola outbreak is brought under control? Please post your opinion by Wednesday and then comment on someone's post by Friday. Happy Reading!!

59 Comments

Nicholas Cowan

10/12/2014 02:29:49 pm

"There is no public health without environmental health." In today's society, humans are set on a course to tear out every last drop of life and beauty that our planet harbors, whether that be by deforestation, mining, or hunting animals to extinction, just so we may flourish and prolong our own race (this statement may seem quite extreme but when talking about environmental concerns, we have to be harsh so others must take notice). However, it seems that by taking these brutal actions, we are not only advancing our society but also bringing it into contact with disease and death. This case especially stuck out to me because, if you think about it, West Africans are mining and deforesting their own landscape so that we, the developed countries, may reap the rewards through luxurious lifestyles. And yet, when these actions lead to a terrible series of consequences, the African countries-who were just trying to bring in some revenue to support their people-take the hit. So, what can we do? Health organizations are trying their hardest to create a solution for this epidemic but what about the next one? How do we make sure this doesn't happen again? Well, we need to think about every action we make and preferably put West Africa, as well as other regions, back on a sustainable course. It is nice to sit back and not worry about where the materials came from to build our huge mansions and pools but we cannot ignore the reality anymore. We need to take charge of our course. As of now, the human race can be compared to the titanic: there are the happy developed countries on the top decks without a care in the world as well as the lower class developing countries on the bottom decks with little money to support themselves. However, we are all on the same boat headed for the same iceberg straight ahead. The question is, do we have enough time to veer out of the way?

Jake Vail

10/14/2014 03:34:42 am

I agree with you, we extort other species for our benefit and often times these benefits are short-lived, cosmetic or ineffective!

Julie Marro

10/14/2014 10:06:22 am

You made a lot of excellent points here. It is a pattern that the less advanced countries are suffering the effects of climate change while countries like the United States are reaping the benefits. The Titanic analogy is perfect, no matter how much we have and how little another country has, we are all heading towards the same fate. We need to realize that before it is too late, for the sake of the planet and all of those that inhabit it. We cannot keep sitting comfortably away from all of the mess our mass consumerism has caused forever.

Gianna Fazio

10/14/2014 12:14:56 pm

The titanic is an awesome analogy Nick- there's just one minor (disturbing) discrepancy. All of us aboard this so called ship about to crash clearly see this "iceberg", but are just too greedy and caught up in our own lives and goals to collaborate and put a stop to this immense destruction. It is truly saddening that many claim to care but never decide to change their lifestyle or try to make some real impact.

Alyssa Lofaro

10/15/2014 06:26:28 am

Your analogy to the titanic is very fitting because we all heading to the same "tipping point" and we don't (for the most part) know how to veer out of the way. Espically in America, were all very greedy and not looking out for whats best for the rest of the world. If we start paying close attention and stop worrying just about ourselves, we might be able to "veer" from the unknown or what's yet to come.

Brian Sputh

10/16/2014 03:09:17 am

Don't let go Jack

Tom

10/17/2014 02:00:31 am

You messed it up Brian?

Rose

10/16/2014 03:10:09 am

I'll never let go

William Fridrich

10/13/2014 11:47:51 am

They say that hindsight is 20/20, and as much of a blanket statement as that may be, it's completely true and has always been. We always seem to lack the foresight to see what might happen until it does. Although it may not have been feasible to predict that contact with fruit bats would cause a now worldwide epidemic, it's fair to say that much of this could be avoided, as could a number of current environmental problems, had we looked at the potential consequences of our actions before we went ahead and acted by destroying a majority of the forests that housed the fruit bats (among many other animals) within West Africa. However, the article does rightly state that "deforestation didn't cause this Ebola epidemic", and it's likely that this disease, by some unforeseen means, would have spread to humans eventually. However, this article does raise the interesting point that we must be able to look ahead before acting and find ways to prevent this or anything like it from happening again, because unfortunately with Ebola, once we found it, it was already too late. Now it is just a matter of stopping it where it is, and trying to prevent it from spreading further. Are we going to have to wait until the next epidemic ravages the human race before being able to react? Or can we prevent it from happening in the first place?

Emma Philbin

10/14/2014 05:55:37 am

I agree with you, it's too late to go back and change our actions, so now its a matter of figuring out how to prevent it from spreading any further. When the disease was in just West Africa, we were not so motivated to find a cure for it since it was not directly affecting us. But now with the outbreaks in Texas, hopefully we will find a cure with research and more knowledge, tests, and study.

Jake Vail

10/14/2014 03:32:19 am

Yet another reason why deforestation is not beneficial. It is ironic because we "need" to use the forest as a benefit, but it also harms us. I believed that Ebola was reserved to bats and humans however,Ebola also impacts other species such as Guerillas (this was surprising to me). Perhaps a way we can cure Ebola is to study the genetics of the bat that is a carrier but does not seem to die from it. By extracting this DNA hopefully we can turn Ebola from a death sentence to a treatable illness.

Alyssa Ruml

10/14/2014 09:37:41 am

I agree with your view on deforestation, it honestly seems like there are barely any positives about it! Deforestation is one of the many reasons why ebola is continuing to spread, and hopefully we will decrease the amount of trees we are cutting down.

Mariel Lucian

10/14/2014 11:39:50 pm

That's a really great point Jake! Scientists have been working on an antibiotic to treat the infected patients but no luck yet. Hopefully in the near future a cure will be discovered.

Emma Philbin`

10/14/2014 05:49:42 am

As a human race, we are failing to think about the repercussions of our careless actions. We are lacking the care to monitor and harvest the trees in West Africa in a feasible way for the wildlife to survive. By cutting down the trees, the bats are condensing into a small area of habitat left after deforestation. This is a viruses or a diseases dream, they can easily and rapidly spread through the production in a matter of time. So not only is the deforestation removing and killing off many species, but it is also spreading a fatal diseases to humans around the fruit bats, who cannot die from Ebola. Also, not only is deforestation the most prominent issue here regarding the spread of Ebola within the bats species, but also the humans mining- they are traveling into bat territory to reach the mines. Without our carelessness, Ebola might have been able to be prevented, therefore I agree completely with this article. There is always the "may and possibly", but we know for sure it would not be happening so quickly if we didn't disrupt the disease-carrying bats.

Anthony Pacia

10/14/2014 06:30:27 am

I agree that we must take better care of our ecosystems by making sure we replenish any resources we may take so that we don't harm the environment. If we don't destroy the habitat of disease carrying animals like bats and rats, we can limit the contact between humans and these animals decreasing the chances of a pandemic.

Tara Litvin

10/14/2014 10:59:06 am

I agree with you completely. People are a major contributor to why this disease has become such an epidemic. We destroyed the forests, and therefore the homes of these bats, giving the disease the upper hand in taking over the bat population, but we are also going into these lands for mines, exposing ourselves to the disease, to simply continue our luxurious lifestyle.

William Fridrich

10/15/2014 11:00:04 am

I couldn't agree more. Until it's too late, or in some cases, until it impact us at home, people rarely think about consequences. Yes, it is probable that this disease would eventually spread to humans, but had we only looked ahead and not carelessly destroyed forest after forest, not only could this have been halted, it may have even been planned for. It is a shame that only now are we looking into finding a cure, and that is because at this point it is essential, but who knows when the next deadly disease will begin to ravage the world due to human negligence?

Anthony Pacia

10/14/2014 06:24:39 am

This outbreak of the Ebola virus shows that we must realize the consequences of our actions and that destroying entire forests will have a greater impact long term than any short term economic gains. Until people realize that the planet can't sustain us if we keep going at the pace we are now and take action, we will suffer from stronger and more frequent natural disasters whether they are hurricanes or diseases.

Kyle Wilson

10/16/2014 11:05:10 am

I agree with you on your point of us human beings realizing that we can not continue challenging how much the planet can sustain. Too often decisions are made without any concern for their future implications on the planet.

Lucas Brennan

10/14/2014 08:01:49 am

This artice exemplifies the fact that the environment can affect so many different things that, as humans, protecting the environment is so essential to us. Everything is connected in a wat at may be unknown at the time of doing something, but being informed about how harming the environment can have such detrimental effects not just locally but also globally.

Ryan O'Donnell

10/16/2014 09:52:31 am

I agree with you. This article proves how everything is interconnected with each other. We have to start taking environmental issues into account, so we can protect the world.

Julie Marro

10/14/2014 10:01:46 am

It seems as though most of the problems occurring in the world today can be traced back to our treatment of the natural world around us. The detrimental effects of our actions are being felt globally, but with a disease like this, it is surprising to see that it can be tied back to something like deforestation. I don't know what it will take for us to realize that we need to stop what we are doing to our planet and make a serious change. How many more habitats will be destroyed, and as if that is not a problem in itself, how many people might die in relation to the destruction of these habitats? Even one is too many. Ebola is destroying the lives of so many in West Africa, and it is scary and devastating. We need to look at this as a model to treat the world better, so we can possibly prevent or minimize diseases like Ebola in the future. The argument for the economic benefits of deforestation and other damaging practices simply cannot stand anymore. Hopefully people will see articles like these and realize change needs to come fast, because if a deadly disease like Ebola is not a catalyst for action, what will be?

Alyssa Ruml

10/14/2014 10:15:10 am

Deforestation is only causing spread of ebola. As stated in the article, "The result: virus, bats and people have had more opportunities to meet." Our careless actions have extremely serious consequences and we really need to realize that ebola will spread if we continue cutting down massive areas of trees. Since fruit bats carry ebola but don't die from it, cutting down forests will only cause the bats to escape from their habitats, making the risk of contracting ebola even higher. We need to come together globally to discuss further ideas to help and prevent the dangerous spread of ebola.

Tara Litvin

10/14/2014 10:53:56 am

People only see present consequences. Everyone is so worried about this disease being in the United States and trying to find a cure, but with this vast deforestation of Africa, more diseases and consequences are sure to come. If people saw this as a warning to stop deforestation, and started programs to lesson consumption and to replant the forest, spreading of diseases like this one would greatly lesson

Hannah Schrader

10/15/2014 12:14:18 am

I agree with you Tara , we are so worried of Ebola effecting us in the U.S, but we need to stop the underlying causes if we want a better outcome. And I think we should star with the deforestation of Africa , and maybe the spreading if this deadly diseases will lessen.

Brian Sputh

10/15/2014 02:05:28 am

I agree with you Tara, there are bound to be diseases other than Ebola. We have to build up all the forests again to make sure that diseases don't spread as quickly. We have to be responsible for our actions and the spreading of Ebola is a consequence to the deforestation in Africa.

Brian Sputh

10/14/2014 10:59:59 am

Deforestation has become a big factor in the spreading of the Ebola virus to spread faster. With the cutting down of trees, the bats have lost their home and are forced to find space to live in their once abundant habitat. Mining has also become a great business in the are and the bats located in the caves are carrying the Ebola virus. With the contact of the bats and the humans the virus is being transferred to humans. I agree that "there is no public health without environmental health" because we need to take into account that our actions environmentally can have negative consequences. We need to be aware or the major effects of things when we change things in the environment.

Emma Schrader

10/14/2014 11:05:13 am

As a population we are ignoring the warning signs that our enviroment send us and now the the enviroment and we are suffering. In the article deforestation is linked to the deadly virus, ebola, because humans are taking away the bats habitats. Without the bats habitats the bats are becoming closer in contact with humans which makes it easier for humans to contract this virus. Hopefully once the virus is under control we can use the link between the bats and deforestation to prevent another outbreak like this one. The connection between the bats and the deforestation is actually helpful to us because we now can see the fragil relationship of our enviroment and how abusing it can actually effect us too.

Liv Kaczmarek

10/14/2014 11:13:23 am

"There is no public health without environmental health". Once the Ebola outbreak is under control I hope to see some of the preventable human activities that aided the rapid spread of this virus brought to the forefront of the media. The deforestation Africa experienced led to smaller habitats for the bats to live in which allowed the virus to spread within the population, increasing the likelihood of a human contracting the virus. If there had been a larger area for the bats to live they would not have been so closely distributed, which would have spread the virus slower, potentially keeping the virus within the forests boundaries. This just goes to show that something must be done to stop environmental destruction. This can be seen as a warning as to what our future holds. It can't take much more than seeing all these people with Ebola dying to realize something must be done to end how we treat our environment. We can't just take what we want from the environment and not expect to see negative affects from our actions.

Ryan O'Donnell

10/14/2014 11:18:01 am

This article shows how that environmental health and human health are well connected. We can prevent many things from happening if we take time to save our environment. After Ebola is under control, we can take a step back and realize how important our environment is to us.

Gianna Fazio

10/14/2014 12:19:47 pm

It's very crazy to think that a virus as critical as Ebola is just another problem that has raised out of our nation's and the world's greed. There is no stop to deforestation because we need space, need materials, need money. It is easy for some to overlook the devastating and saddening effects it has on the biodiversity of our Earth and the very animals in those forests, but will we overlook the fact that we have perpetuated this very deadly virus, too? Will we sweep it under the carpet, scrambling for a cure or measures to stop the spread while all the while not getting to the root of the problem? For the sake of the Earth, the animals, and humanity, I sure hope not.

Robert Boos

10/15/2014 12:13:57 am

Ebola was a bomb waiting to happen. A virus that has probably existed for years and just because we unleashed it does not mean we created it. Developing a cure is an eventuality that would have happened in the future, after Ebola was released by natural causes. Blaming this disease on the greed of humans is naive and ignorant to the fact that African fruit bats have always carried this virus. We need people like you to realize the true problems of our greed such as extinction of native species due to our deforestation. The problem is far greater than a disease, media attention should focus more on the deforestation, and unless you see the big picture, nothing will change.

Ryan Rattazzi

10/15/2014 02:46:09 am

To agree with Bob, Ebola (and other diseases that have cause many deaths over the years for that matter) is not at the fault of humans and our sheer greed. It can't be claimed that our need for space and resources causing deforestation is the sole reason for the Ebola outbreak. Yes, deforestation most likely did create an environment more likely for these diseases to reach humans. However, this would have happened anyway, and to put all blame on the ignorance of humans is unfair and untrue.

Mrs. Anderson

10/15/2014 03:00:01 am

Stop picking on Gianna!!

Joseph Mullen

10/14/2014 01:06:54 pm

I feel that greed, lack of education, and blatant disregard for the well being of the environment are all contributing factors to this epidemic. Those who are cutting down the forests in an unsustainable way today are not thinking about the future. The only future they think about is tomorrow, next week, how many trees, how much they are making. In their minds it's not a problem, because it's not their problem, yet it is. Carelessness and greed has helped bring the Ebola epidemic into fruition. This of course is not the only contributing factor. Lack of education, high rates of poverty, and clumsy handling of the situation have all helped worsen the situation. I feel that stricter regulations must be put in place to help reduce the rate of deforestation as well as restore some of the damage done. Investment in education for the public must also be made to help end unsafe practices such as eating bushmeat.

Nicholas Cowan

10/16/2014 03:39:26 am

I think that you bring up a great point about greed. One of my all time favorite quotes by Jimi Hendrix states "when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." To understand and want to deal with this situation, as well as a host of other environmental issues, we need to learn to love the natural world around us and its inhabitants. We preserve only what we love and we love only what we understand. In other words, by educating people about these issues, we can better love and want to preserve our environment more than we love our money.

Joseph Mullen

10/16/2014 01:00:10 pm

It is not only the greed of those who are destroying the environment that is the problem. Those who standby while others destroy the earth are just as bad. People's involvement in their own problems, the ones that affect them the most directly is a major part of the problem. If people began taking a greater interest in problems that affect the world as a whole, we may be able to slow the damage caused by those driven by greed.

Tom Reilly link

10/14/2014 01:40:43 pm

I've read through most of the replies to this article and i agree with the general consensus. We have seen throughout human history it takes drastic measures for us as a race to ever change. We are constantly ignoring facts which are inconvienent and which don't agree with what we desire. I sincerley hope that this event is as drastic as we must go to change.

Sarah Walsh

10/15/2014 09:46:44 am

I agree completely. Particularly when looking at environmental issues, it's simply baffling how bad things need to get before we feel a change must be made. That's what makes me the most nervous when looking to the future of our planet- I'm not sure people will be willing to change until the detriments of their actions are obvious and terrible and impacting them directly.

Isha Khawaja link

10/14/2014 02:31:02 pm

Mother nature gave us consequences for our destructive actions. As a result of humans deforesting and invading fruit bats' homes, ebola invaded our society. We certainly could have helped prevented it if big industries took an environmental perspective, if we encouraged environmental awareness and if we implemented better health care systems in Africa. We could have taken numerous measures to prevent the outbreak, but the opportunistic virus would have still found a way survive and flourish. Although we can't control future epidemics we can promote eco-friendly laws and polices to protect ourselves and our future generations.

Corinne Caminske

10/15/2014 03:46:53 am

I agree that more laws should be passed that protect our environment. We need to stop this from happening in the future, and the public can't ignore a law.

Hannah Schrader

10/14/2014 11:22:41 pm

It's crazy to think that by helping the environment and stopping deforestation could have saved possibly many peoples lives.its so sad that not many people realize that treating our world better can cause other great effects. Ebola is just one bad outcome if deforestation in Africa, it's causing a chain reaction. And it's scaring me to think what's next.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

10/15/2014 02:02:05 am

I agree with everything you said Hannah. It's very scary seeing this "chain reaction". I hope that we are able to adjust our lifestyle to stop this "chain reaction".

Mariel Lucian

10/14/2014 11:34:36 pm

The Ebola outbreak has proved that the environment's health has a direct relationship with the public's health. It was very interesting to learn that one of the reason's for the outbreak was a result of deforestation. This is an example of the power of our environment.

Robert Boos

10/15/2014 12:03:50 am

Our actions can have far reaching consequences beyond our ability to perceive, until it is too late. Ebola is just one example of us realizing these negative outcomes , but there are many more actions we take every day that have effects that go unrealized by our population. Performing studies on environmental destruction can show us that it is obviously detrimental to us and we can unanimously agree on that. What is disturbing about this is that we do virtually nothing to change how we are until it is too late. We must take preventative action, and not simply cleanup after we mess up.

Lucas Brennan

10/15/2014 12:13:16 am

I like what you said about how we have to prevent these sort of occurrences because just trying to make it better after the fact is simply not enough in the long term. I agree with you on that front. Nice comment.

Mrs. Anderson

10/15/2014 01:43:26 am

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! is a very common saying among environmentalists.

Ryan Fargione

10/15/2014 01:28:54 am

The fact that a bit of environmental research could have prevented an outbreak like Ebola is disturbing. I can't believe we don't weigh the envirmental possibilities more heavily when we do things like deforest large areas.

Eileen Keenan

10/15/2014 01:48:41 am

Knowing that this epidemic could have been prevented is astonishing. If people take more concern in their environment they would realize that their actions do have consequences. The quote "there is no public health without environmental health" is very real and very true If people took more time to realize that things like deforestation affects us, than we might not be in the situation we are in today

Emma

10/15/2014 08:05:28 am

I agree with you Eileen. It's crazy to think how two different things can actually be related in some way. I wonder how many times a disease has been spread because of our carelessness to protect our enviroment. I hope that before something like this happens again we need to put more stress on changing our enviroment.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

10/15/2014 01:58:42 am

We take our planet for granted, often using it in selfish ways. The Ebola outbreak has caused tons of deaths that we basically brought upon ourselves. Humans chose to destroy the forests that held the bats which helped bring Ebola to humans. Deforestation needs to be stopped, not only to stop an epidemic but to help our planet gain some health back.

Corinne Caminske

10/15/2014 03:43:22 am

Nobody would have guessed that our abuse of the environment led to the spread of the Ebola until after the outbreak. I agree that "there's no public health without environmental health", because our environment influences everything in our daily lives. People get sweaty during the summer and catch a cold during the winter; is it crazy to think the environment could cause disease? We were all taught never to underestimate Mother Nature. The public doesn't realize how the environment is affecting them until something serious like Ebola happens. Once word spreads that Ebola could have been prevented with proper care to the environment, people will go nuts with reform ideas. However, change needs to start before the next tragedy does. We shouldn't look at this as a mistake that should be shunned but rather a lesson. This way occurrences like this can be prevented for future generations.

Alyssa Lofaro

10/15/2014 06:31:29 am

It's crazy to think that envirornmental research could alone have prevented the Ebola outbreak. If people throughout the world, especially governmental officials may closer attention to envirornmental issues, we could prevent more outbreaks just like Ebola. Many people don't realize that environmental issues have a huge effect not only on the environment but also in everyday life. For example, with this las test Ebola outbreak, depending in how "bad" it becomes people will be afraid the flying and living there everyday life in fear that they will contract the disease, which could lead to a greater issue.

Sarah Walsh

10/15/2014 09:43:15 am

The most chilling part of this article, to me, is the fact that this isn't the first time something like this has happened. I remembered once reading something strikingly similar- and this was back before the Ebola outbreak we're now facing. In the late 1990s, deforestation in Malaysia led to the emergence of the Nipah virus. That too originated from fruit bat populations. Though the fear of this virus was never as globally prominent as the terror we see Ebola inciting currently, outbreaks got pretty severe. The Nipah virus delivered a message: preserving the world's forests goes hand in hand with preserving human lives. However, here we are in 2014, dealing with the same problem. We did nothing to respond to the harbinger we had in the Nipah virus, and let the same mistakes create the same problems- except this time it is even worse. Hopefully the Ebola epidemic will have more of an impact on our environmental policies than its precursor did. I find myself constantly astonished by how wrong things have to do before human beings feel a change is necessary when it comes to environmental issues. How blatantly bad do things have to get before we start to see real change?

Owen Guinessey

10/23/2014 11:19:11 am

I think you're correct about the link between conservation and viral outbreaks. Ending deforestation would help contain diseases.

Kyle Wilson

10/15/2014 11:42:57 am

The current outbreak of the Ebola virus reminds me a lot of the swine flu outbreak a few years ago in that no one had any concern about it until it reached the United States. If we ever wish to prevent these viruses from entering the country then we need to attack them at their point of origin. The Ebola outbreak has taught us that it was waiting to happen as deforestation increased the possibility of an outbreak. Hopefully in the future we can attempt to rectify environments around the world so that we are not always caught off guard when an outbreak of a deadly virus strikes.

Evan D'Agostino

10/16/2014 04:15:56 am

I think you made a really good point in that to prevent other outbreaks we need to target the source.

Evan D'Agostino

10/16/2014 03:19:29 am

As the people in Africa continue to deforest the land, they will be destroying habitats and forcing animals and humans to mingle on a regular basis. This will bring more diseases like Ebola into society. If we continue to destroy our environment, we can continue to expect diseases to infect humans.

Owen Guinessey

10/23/2014 11:17:45 am

I think that this shows that we need to help to improve third world country's medical capabilities. Outbreaks don't start in nations with good medical infrastructure.

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