Coronavirus Origins

Disease is generally described as an enemy. Invisible and mysterious adversaries surround us. It is reflected in the way we discuss illness. We are 'fighting' heart disease; we are 'battling' cancer and we will 'conquer' diabetes. Both America and the UK have declared war on the Coronavirus. Who or what are we fighting?

As long as the enemy is concealed behind a cloak of mystery we can leave the battle up to the wizards and hope for the best. In order to discover the culprit all that we need is a mirror. Our major antagonist is hiding in clear sight. We like to think that responsibility for our illnesses lies outside us. If my illness is caused by a virus, bacteria or genetics, the punishment of an angry god or the position of the stars then I am blameless. But when it comes to changing daily habits we rebel.

The immediate concern is of course, that we all take responsibility for our own health and that of our family. Being responsible means we need to protect ourselves and our loved ones from contagion.  Beyond that there is a message that is contained in all disease. It is an invitation to reflect on any personal and social adaptations for the future and not simply strive to get back to normal. 

The Root Cause

Influenza or the common flu is one of the worlds most common communicable diseases. Every year there are up to 5 million reported cases resulting in anywhere from 300,000  to 600,000 deaths.

We know that the disease is very dangerous for the very young, the elderly or anyone with a compromised immune system. Sometimes these influenza’s can become pandemics and spread like wildfire from country to country.

The last example of this was the H1 N1 virus popularly known as swine flu pandemic of 2009. Which killed  over 500,000 people. The latest disease that threatens to challenge these dangers is of course the Covid19 variety or Coronavirus. As of 6th May 2020 there has been 257,000 known deaths from the virus. Given the confusion around the criteria for these deaths and problems with lack of reporting this number could be either less or slightly more.

I know that the common sense instructions of hand washing, refusing to shake hands, social distancing, and building a healthy immune response have all been written about with many helpful suggestions. Immediate protection and treatment are important but what about the root causes? What has been missing is any curiosity about the origins of these periodic diseases.

Animals In The Food Chain

About 60 percent of all human diseases and 75 percent of all emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, which means they originate from animals. Most of these infections come from livestock, including pigs, chickens, cattle, goats, sheep and camels. The influenza’s are believed to have originated sometime after humans began their intensive domestication of animals about 10,000 years ago. It is a simple fact that cannot be ignored.

The simple fact is that confining animals in small spaces creates a petri dish for disease. Regardless of the fact, whether in factories, cages or feed-lots we pack them in so we can fatten them up before killing them. Concentrating animal populations into small spaces allows communicable disease to spread rapidly, it makes no differences if the animal is a pig or a human. The animals we raise to eat are sick by definition, that is why up to 80% of all anti-biotics are used on domesticated animals. Our quest for pleasure has rebounded on us.

The same confinement with raised animals is happening with increased frequency in the kingdom of wild animals. As logging and mining operations expand throughout the world and cities expand, large areas of forest and grasslands are dissected cutting off migration and feeding paths. This is forcing animals to face extinction and adapt to new ways of feeding that brings them into closer contact with human populations. The balance of animal life within the food chain is also disrupted. Predators such as wolves and coyotes are often hunted and killed allowing other animals to proliferate and throw of the natural balance.

What Have We Done?

A good example of this is Lyme disease, a serious disorder that is transmitted from ticks that breed on deer. The origin is thought to be a growing mouse population. The mice serve as a breeding ground, the ticks then leap to deer and humans. The mice are not kept in check because the coyotes or foxes that would have kept their population in check have been greatly reduced by humans.

These diseases are a direct result of the sicknesses we impose on the animals that live in captivity for our dining pleasure. Millions of pigs, chickens, cows, and, increasingly, farmed fish not only suffer but live in an environment that makes them ill and diseased. Of the 76 Billion land animals killed each year for human food most have been specifically bred to be identical. This means that pathogens can more easily spread from one animal to the next.  Even those who do not care about the welfare of animals are not excited about eating diseased animals.

The presence of disease in animals raised to eat will continue to be a problem regardless of the breed. A virus can spread from one animal to the next, mutating as it infects different species. Many in the West are horrified by the fact that the source of the present virus was in a “wild animal” meat market. The fact that there are about 2,000 “wildlife farms” where many of these animals are raised in China really takes the “wild” out of the definition.

Killing is Killing

Does it make a difference if we kill a peacock or a turkey, a lamb or a civit cat? The difference is only a cultural one. We decide that certain animals are OK to kill and eat but not others. This is a clear example of culture bias. Much of the critique of the Chinese custom was racist.

If we want to create a healthy world, one of the most important things we can do is stop eating animals and supporting the industries that provide them. It is important to stop pretending that killing one species of sentient animal rather than another is anything other than cultural prejudice. It is an ethical, environmental and health disaster. There is no reason for this habit other than pleasure, it is not scientific or logical. We need to stop it now.

If you are interested in learning more about natural ways you can create a healthy immune system visit our website shop and download our free ebook called WHAT TO EAT and check out the many blog posts on healthy living.

Marlene and I wish you good health, stay safe and take care and of course, Go Vegan and join us in service for a healthy world, for humans and nonhumans alike.

In good health

Bill