Wild birds sold at a market in Long An province (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - A webinarwas held by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the Vietnam EnvironmentAdministration on November 19 to call on regional countries to join in effortsto conserve wildlife and effectively control animal-to-human diseasetransmission.
Participants discussed the risks to publichealth posed by the wildlife trade, especially emerging infectious diseasesfrom animals. They also shared information and experience, discussed cooperationissues, and considered the feasibility of using the One Health approach inASEAN’s efforts to fight COVID-19 and any future pandemics.
Initiated by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, thewebinar heard that the global population has doubled over the last 50 years whilethe global economy has increased almost four-fold and global trade ten-fold,resulting in growing energy and material demand. Human factors have greatlyaffected biodiversity at the ecosystem, species, and genetic levels.
The degradation of biodiversity has also had socio-economicand health impacts on societies, participants said, noting that diseases fromwild animals, like H5N1, HIV, Ebola, and now COVID-19, have had an intensiveand extensive effect on human life and the global economy.
General Director of the Vietnam EnvironmentAdministration Nguyen Van Tai said wildlife protection is not merely nature andbiodiversity conservation but is also associated with public health activities.
It’s time for all people, countries, and regionsto effectively promote conservation and proactively prevent animal-to-humandisease transmission, he said./.
VNA
