Last week tonight with John Oliver broadcast the season’s premiere on Sunday, returning after its last showing a few days after the presidential election. Although a lot has happened since then – including the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Wall Street Gamestop roller coaster and Donald Trump’s impeachment trial culminating in an acquittal – for his main story he discussed the possibility of another pandemic and how to avoid it.
“Now it may be the most important time to talk about it because scientists tried to warn us about the ‘next’ pandemic long before the current one arrives, and we really didn’t listen,” he emphasized, illustrating his point with a 60 minutes clip from 17 years ago, which aired shortly after the SARS epidemic was contained. In it, a scientist warned of his concern that a more lethal virus would appear “that moves from one part of the planet to another, exterminating people as it progresses”, adding: “This is something that keeps you up at night. “
As Oliver notes, the number of infectious disease outbreaks “has increased significantly since 1980”, including SARS, H1N1, Ebola, MERS, Zika and the current Covid-19 pandemic.
“The truth is that if we’re not very careful, the next pandemic could be even worse,” said Oliver before playing a clip from an infectious disease expert who said there are viruses circulating in the wildlife that kill 60 to 70 of those who infect and that the current Covid-19 virus “is by no means the worst that Mother Nature has to offer us”.
Oliver described where specific infectious diseases come from, why they are increasing and what we can do to limit them. He noted that the current pandemic caused by the new coronavirus originated in animals before infecting humans and cited research that estimates that up to 75 percent of new or emerging infectious diseases spread this way. He also cited research that estimates that there are 1.7 million viruses not yet discovered in mammals and birds that have the ability to infect humans.
Although many species are linked to infectious diseases, he notes that bats are one of the largest vectors. However, the solution is not to eliminate species, which would disturb the world ecosystem. He also discussed how deforestation, urbanization and mining are contributing to “blurring the barrier between civilization and wildlife”, that humans increase the chance of spreading disease by introducing exotic wild animals into their homes and lives, and risks involved in some “wet markets,” where, in some locations, animals from different locations can be caged nearby and can transfer diseases to humans who shop in the markets. He noted that experts also connected state and agricultural fairs and industrial farms as potential sources for multiple infectious disease outbreaks.
“When you put it all together, it looks like we are actively trying to start pandemics,” he said.
He acknowledged that the most effective way to lessen the threat of future pandemics would be to eliminate and end all the practices he described, “But obviously none of this is going to happen,” he said, adding “Draconian measures just won’t work here.”
“Which is not to say that we should not try to reduce harmful practices, because we clearly should,” he added. “Many health experts advocate what is called a ‘unique health perspective’, in which we recognize that the health of humans, animals and our environment are all interconnected and we take this into account when making decisions on everything from environmental regulations to urban planning.”
He noted that smaller solutions can help limit outbreaks. Oliver highlighted Thailand’s success in preventing outbreaks through a phone application in which farmers can “send abnormal health events in real time”, as explained in a video of the application in action, which “can inform broader public policies ”Said Oliver.
“There will be thousands of little ideas like this that can end up making a real difference,” explained Oliver. He urged viewers not to be “complacent” as the pandemic subsides.
“So, for the sake of future generations – and in all likelihood, we will in a few years – really need to remember how we feel now and invest accordingly,” he said. “Because the truth is, you never know where the next pandemic will come from.”