How Diseases Don’t Respect Geographical Boundaries

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Abstract

eak out nor was it even the epicenter of it, but the 1918 flu was seen as a Spanish problem because Spain was the first country to fully report on the pandemic. Many other countries did not want to report the Spanish Flu due to the already low morale from World War I and would rather blame Spain at the time. This created a false sense of safety in countries not properly reporting “the Spanish Flu”. Unfortunately, this false sense of safety was exactly that: false.</p><p id="9ef7">The 1918 Influenza was roughly estimated to have killed about 3% of the global population. It wasn’t just a Spanish problem and it didn’t respect any geographic boundaries, censored or not.</p><p id="f9c9">** now H1N1 is known as swine flu</p><h2 id="c514">Ebola Reston</h2><p id="760b">While Ebola outbreaks typically occur within the continent of Africa, in 1989 a shipment of monkeys infected with Ebola Reston moved from the Philippines to Virginia and infected US monkeys and US citizens. Luckily the Reston strain of Ebola just happened to not affect humans the same way most Ebola strains do but it was a close call.</p><p id="7b93">The perception of Ebola/Marburg from many mainstream epidemiologists was that it was so deadly that it “burned itself out” naturally. Because of this Ebola is sometimes seen as an “African disease” in the scientific community — not as a disease to be concerned about in the western world. The Ebola Reston incident proves that this perception of Ebola as an “Africa Disease” isn’t necessarily true and that it can cross geographical borders to a first-world country such as the United States.</p><h2 id="d54d">Covid-19</h2><p id="044d">In 2013 the Wuhan Institute of Virology found a species of coronavirus in bats that was about 96% identical to SARS-CoV-2. This species of coronavirus in Wuhan came from horseshoe bats in Yunnan caves which are

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regularly monitored for more information about emerging viruses. Bats are known carriers and originators of disease because they have a natural immunity to a lot of diseases but are still able to be infected by them — thus they become carriers. Coronaviruses especially have been detected in bats such as the ones in Yunnan caves and scientists have used bats for years to monitor emerging coronaviruses that might be a threat. The 2013 coronavirus discovered in bats in Wuhan, China was able to infect human tissue and is likely an ancestor and predictor of our modern-day SARS-CoV-2.</p><p id="8868">In 2019, COVID-19 outbreaks began in China and soon spread across the world to create the deadliest pandemic in history. Until then coronaviruses were largely seen as a “Chinese problem” due to China’s history with SARS, another coronavirus. Coronaviruses don’t respect geographical boundaries and are a global problem.</p><h1 id="a9dd">Conclusion</h1><p id="fd73">Instances in history where diseases crossed geographical boundaries are especially concerning because they exemplify just how infectious <i>modern-day</i> diseases can become. Note the phrase <i>modern-day</i>. With the current population density of the world and with incredibly efficient means of transportation humans use daily (airplanes, trains, cars, buses, etc.), diseases now have more opportunities to spread farther and become more deadly. As humans become more global so too do diseases.</p><p id="18af">This is because diseases don’t respect geographical boundaries. They are a global problem. Diseases are still able to travel across the entire world from host to host. We should be concerned about the rise of opportunities for diseases in the modern world and implement more preventative measures to stop diseases from crossing geographical boundaries around the globe.</p></article></body>

Introduction

Many diseases around the world and throughout history are seen as isolated problems belonging to a specific region and not a threat to other countries. This is not the case.

From the 1918 Influenza (H1N1) to the Ebola Reston instance diseases have historically not respected geographical boundaries. We may have to present our passports and pass through customs to cross a border but diseases do not.

More recently the Covid-19 pandemic aka the “Chinese virus” showed just how few diseases were likely to respect boundaries even if we nickname them after a certain country.

1918 Influenza (H1N1)

The 1918 Influenza (H1N1) pandemic spread across the world in two years and likely infected a third of the global population, killing tens of millions along the way. H1N1, then coined the Spanish Flu, was one of the most famous diseases that didn’t respect geographic boundaries.

1918 Influenza is thought to have originally broke out in rural Kansas but soon spread around the world. Spain wasn’t the first country for the 1918 flu to break out nor was it even the epicenter of it, but the 1918 flu was seen as a Spanish problem because Spain was the first country to fully report on the pandemic. Many other countries did not want to report the Spanish Flu due to the already low morale from World War I and would rather blame Spain at the time. This created a false sense of safety in countries not properly reporting “the Spanish Flu”. Unfortunately, this false sense of safety was exactly that: false.

The 1918 Influenza was roughly estimated to have killed about 3% of the global population. It wasn’t just a Spanish problem and it didn’t respect any geographic boundaries, censored or not.

** now H1N1 is known as swine flu

Ebola Reston

While Ebola outbreaks typically occur within the continent of Africa, in 1989 a shipment of monkeys infected with Ebola Reston moved from the Philippines to Virginia and infected US monkeys and US citizens. Luckily the Reston strain of Ebola just happened to not affect humans the same way most Ebola strains do but it was a close call.

The perception of Ebola/Marburg from many mainstream epidemiologists was that it was so deadly that it “burned itself out” naturally. Because of this Ebola is sometimes seen as an “African disease” in the scientific community — not as a disease to be concerned about in the western world. The Ebola Reston incident proves that this perception of Ebola as an “Africa Disease” isn’t necessarily true and that it can cross geographical borders to a first-world country such as the United States.

Covid-19

In 2013 the Wuhan Institute of Virology found a species of coronavirus in bats that was about 96% identical to SARS-CoV-2. This species of coronavirus in Wuhan came from horseshoe bats in Yunnan caves which are regularly monitored for more information about emerging viruses. Bats are known carriers and originators of disease because they have a natural immunity to a lot of diseases but are still able to be infected by them — thus they become carriers. Coronaviruses especially have been detected in bats such as the ones in Yunnan caves and scientists have used bats for years to monitor emerging coronaviruses that might be a threat. The 2013 coronavirus discovered in bats in Wuhan, China was able to infect human tissue and is likely an ancestor and predictor of our modern-day SARS-CoV-2.

In 2019, COVID-19 outbreaks began in China and soon spread across the world to create the deadliest pandemic in history. Until then coronaviruses were largely seen as a “Chinese problem” due to China’s history with SARS, another coronavirus. Coronaviruses don’t respect geographical boundaries and are a global problem.

Conclusion

Instances in history where diseases crossed geographical boundaries are especially concerning because they exemplify just how infectious modern-day diseases can become. Note the phrase modern-day. With the current population density of the world and with incredibly efficient means of transportation humans use daily (airplanes, trains, cars, buses, etc.), diseases now have more opportunities to spread farther and become more deadly. As humans become more global so too do diseases.

This is because diseases don’t respect geographical boundaries. They are a global problem. Diseases are still able to travel across the entire world from host to host. We should be concerned about the rise of opportunities for diseases in the modern world and implement more preventative measures to stop diseases from crossing geographical boundaries around the globe.