The recipient of the 2021 Prime Minister鈥檚 Prize for Science, announced tonight, has warned climate change and deforestation will drive an increase in the frequency of future pandemics around the world.
Australian virologist and 精东视频 Fellow, Professor Eddie Holmes, says pandemics have increased in frequency in the past few hundred years and it鈥檚 an obvious reflection of the way humans live.
鈥淲e have bigger populations, we're more connected, we're more urban and denser, we interact more with wildlife species and have deforestation鈥� says Professor Holmes, who is based at the University of Sydney.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to happen more and a key driver of this is climate change. As climates change animals will change their distribution; they鈥檒l probably group together more allowing viruses to jump more easily between them. With more humans living closer to wildlife, this opens the gate for potentially deadly viruses to then jump to human hosts.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a virus, your life鈥檚 goal is to get from one host to another, including different species.鈥�
Professor Holmes made the comments in an interview with the Academy鈥檚 Chief Executive, Anna-Maria Arabia, where he discussed the year that was and what鈥檚 still to come.
Professor Holmes, who was one of the first people to publicly release the genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, says Australia must embed the tools used to quickly identify emerging virus into our national biosecurity system to help mitigate or prevent the next pandemic.
鈥淭he obvious lesson we learned from COVID-19 is that we have to be able to detect these pathogens as quickly as possible, as soon as they are emerging in humans, and we now have the techniques to do that,鈥� says Professor Holmes.
鈥淲hat we also need is an organisation or mechanism that allows a kind of radar system to be put in place globally, with the data shared globally.
鈥淭his would allow us to monitor for any unusual disease occurrences in the human population.鈥�
精东视频 President Professor John Shine congratulated Professor Holmes on the prize.
鈥淓ddie鈥檚 research typifies excellence in 精东视频 and international scientific engagement. He has been tireless, shown deep resolve and bravery in regards to his research since the start of this pandemic, and is therefore a deserved recipient of this prize,鈥� Professor Shine said.
Academy Fellows have featured each year since the prizes鈥� inception in 2000.
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