Addressing the root cause of the Coronavirus outbreak

Credit: Bloomberg

Coronavirus has captivated all the news media outlets and headlines, with almost 240,000 reported cases and nearing 10,000 deaths as a result. It is not only imperative to monitor the implications and casualties of this biological disaster, but to understand why such an event occurred in the first place.

The outbreak, of which the epicenter was in Wuhan (China), is thought to have originated in a wildlife market in Wuhan, which boasted an array of exotic and expansive wildlife to sell for consumption, such as monkeys, dogs, bats, etc. Many have criticized mainland China's weak attempts to regulate this market as the cause for the outbreak.

The History 

Having caused a similar outbreak in 2002 that killed nearly 800 people, China is not new to the epidemic front. Coronavirus is a general term given to viruses that infect animals, and it is very rare for these viruses to infect humans. However, close proximity markets such as the one in Wuhan, allows for viruses to jump from animals to humans, due to the extreme lack of sanitary conditions.

China has relied on these wet markets since in the 20th Century as an effective way of feeding the population in times of famine. However, this has since then became a staple of the average Chinese diet, leading to the Chinese government implementing weak regulations on these markets.

China's passing of a landmark bill in 1988 facilitated these processes and capturing of wildlife trade, which is why it is extremely important to place an emphasis and focus on these markets and to be aware of these policies - because inaction and unawareness leads to the recovery of these markets, as we saw with the SARS outbreak.

The Opinions

Animal protectionists - To an animal protectionist, not only is this virus in the long term affecting additional animals, but the widespread implementation of the wet markets is contributing to illegal wildlife trade and to the extinction of endangered animals.

Supporters - Supporters of these wet markets claim that it is essential to feed the large and poor population, and is an integral part of the Chinese culture. Therefore, protecting yet refining these markets should be the future. 

The Impact

Of course, the impact of the virus has had both detrimental and beneficial impacts to the global economy and societies. The rising death tolls have had considerable negative impacts to the functioning of institutions such as schools, factories, public goods, etc. However, the positives such as reduction of air and water pollution and the gradual improvement in the level of sanitation in the global community must be acknowledged.

Regardless, it is fundamental that global citizens criticize the establishment and continued involvement of factors such as global wet markets and illegal wildlife trade, as the continue play an influential part in the creation of disasters such as SARS and Covid-19.