2020 began with a worldwide panic. States close their borders to tourists, mass events are canceled, offices are transferring workers to a remote location, people are buying food and trying not to leave their homes once again. The reason for this is a new infectious disease, which is known by the name of its causative agent - the coronavirus COVID-19.
This is not the first epidemic of this century - many remember the news of a decade ago about swine and bird flu. And each time, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire are the first to encounter a new plague, from where it is rapidly spreading throughout the world. Why do all viruses come from China?
History of large-scale epidemics in China
For several years now, new viruses have appeared in China. In 2003, the news feeds were filled with articles about SARS. In fact, its causative agent also belongs to the coronavirus family, but at that time the media considered a different name more effective. East Asia became the main focus, isolated cases were noted outside it. Then 843 people died - a little compared to the 2020 epidemic. A few years later, a new threat appeared - swine flu. On his account there were 2627 lives, but the lion's share again fell on the countries of Asia. For this reason, at the end of 2019, some perceived the news of a new disease as another gossip about an epidemic that would not affect them. But the situation got out of control.
Interestingly, researchers attribute to China even the monstrous epidemic of the Spanish flu, which claimed millions of lives exactly a century ago. After all, it got its name solely due to the fact that Spain was the first country to openly declare the number of victims of the new virus. Modern scholars attribute its origin to Chinese labor migrants, who, under wartime conditions in 1917 and a shortage of labor, were brought in thousands to Europe.
Why new viruses appear in China
The history of mankind knows many devastating epidemics. Some have been defeated with drugs, some with vaccines, and some infectious diseases are still surrounded by an ominous halo of death. But all of them are united by one source - our neighbors on the planet. As a rule, animals are simply carriers of the virus or suffer less from it. The current coronavirus was given to people by bats. Previously, it was not transmitted from bats to humans, but a certain mutation changed the situation and significantly increased the circle of potential victims. A similar path has been taken by swine and bird flu. There are several reasons why they appear in China.
1. Culinary features of the East
Fans of Chinese (and generally Asian) cuisine know how specific it can be. A large number of vegetables makes it a dietary benchmark, but there is another side. The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire adore unexpected combinations and strange ingredients - what is the soup with the poetic name "battle of a tiger with a dragon" worth. They also have dishes from bats in their arsenal. And the main feature of Chinese cuisine is the speed of preparation. Even game is often subjected to minimal processing there, which increases the risk of infection.
2. Oriental medicine
It is no secret that among the Chinese there is still a strong belief in the healing properties of the claws, teeth and individual organs of animals. Previously, these beliefs were dangerous only for the animals themselves - some species were practically exterminated and ended up in the Red Book. But nature has found a way to take revenge. After examining the samples obtained, the scientists came to the conclusion that the coronavirus acquired the ability to infect a person by entering a special food chain. From bats, he passed into the body of snakes that ate these bats. And the reptiles transmitted the already slightly modified disease to the inhabitants of China through their scales, which they used in folk recipes. So the medicine from the imaginary became fatal.
3. Non-gold billion
Densely populated China is synonymous with crowds. Even strict laws regarding the family could not stop the inexorable growth in the number of its inhabitants, but only slowed down this process. The old tradition of having many children is also indirectly to blame for Chinese culinary perversions - to feed a large family, everything was used, from bamboo and cats to bats. What is now being passed off as a local curiosity in Asian markets was once a dire necessity. In total, almost 1,400 million people live in China, and in the city of Wuhan, where the first outbreak of coronavirus was registered, 11 million are slightly less than in Moscow. Any disease that has arisen in such a favorable environment is like a burning match brought to paper. The effect enhanced the mode of transmission - the most volatile, airborne.
4. Hygiene habits
Many met Chinese tourists, but not always guests from the east made a good impression. It would seem that people who can afford a trip to another country should fit into generally accepted norms of behavior. However, there is an unpleasant stereotype about the slovenliness of the Chinese - and, alas, it did not arise from scratch. All this also contributed to the rapid spread of the virus.
What needs to happen so that new viruses do not appear
Sooner or later, the coronavirus epidemic will subside. We do not want a repetition of the panic and the harsh measures that it caused. However, the emergence of new viruses is something that is not yet subject to human control. They are born not only in such an exotic way, as happened in China, sometimes old acquaintances - cows, pigs and other domestic animals - become the source. It is only in our power to quickly respond to the emergence of a new disease and stop the epidemic at the beginning of the journey.
Could the new coronavirus have appeared in another country?
In fact, every day the inhabitants of the planet die from infectious diseases, some of which cannot be cured. And this is happening not only in Asia - just remember the Zika virus from South America or the African Ebola fever. The hype surrounding the coronavirus is due to two factors. First, China is a rapidly developing state that has a serious status in the international arena and invests heavily in tourism. Secondly, this country is a real workshop of the world, from where millions of goods are sent every day.
There are still dangerous places on Earth where nature is stronger than man, but it is in China, with its trade and tourist ties, that this has gained such momentum. A universal cure has not been invented, so while people are in contact with animals and travel around the world, viruses will constantly accompany them.