How planetary health may help prevent next pandemic

COVID-19 and its impact on people's lives has the world's scientists looking for ways not only to control the dreaded coronavirus but also to preempt if not prevent the next pandemic.

Some scientists have thus trained their sights on the concept of "planetary health." 

Professor Marilen Parungao-Balolong, a microbiology and immunology expert from the University of the Philippines-Manila, said planetary health was a way of “taking care of our personal health by first taking care of the environment.”

This may start with simple activities in people's daily lives.

“Halimbawa,ikaw ay nagba-bike papunta sa’yong trabaho, wala kang smoke na bine-belch, wala kang kino-contribute sa pagpapadumi sa hangin natin. Ibig sabihin, kung clean ang hangin, hindi ka magkakaroon ng risk for respiratory diseases," Balolong said.

A deeper application of planetary health may be seen in how scientists from UP in Los Banos are studying bats to preempt the next pandemic.

Headed by Phillip Alviola, a bat ecologist, virus hunters are studying bats to learn more about zoonotic diseases or diseases caused by the transmission of harmful pathogens from animals to humans.

Alviola and his team would use mist nets to catch bats and then swab them before releasing them back to the wild.

Samples collected will be sent to Japan for genetic sequencing.

This study could possibly predict or preempt the occurrence of the next pandemic.

“‘Pag na-sample siyempre ‘yung sa tao, you can compare it nu’ng coronavirus from bats. Titignan natin kung ano ang pinakapareho. We’ll know for a fact kung nasaan ‘yung bats na ‘yon, ano ‘yung mga coronavirus, so we can actually address agad. Magiging mabilis ‘yung ating aksiyon for mitigation para hindi na kumalat ‘yung outbreak,” Alviola said.

Alviola reiterated that animal-derived pandemic was a product of human intervention and encroachment in animal habitats.

“The reason why these kinds of pandemics are happening, mga animal-derived pandemic is because of the narrowing interface between the animal population, the animal habitats and the human population. They are now overlapping or meeting,” Alviola said.

'Rethink our lifestyle'

The good news is it’s never too late to heal our sick planet.

Balolong said rising health and environmental problems like unbreathable air, food scarcity, climate change, and even the COVID-19 pandemic were  obvious symptoms that the planet is sick.

“Nakikiusap ako sa ating mga kababayan to rethink their lifestyle. Maybe it’s time to rethink and prioritize the health of the environment so that it would be directly beneficial to prevent diseases,” Balolong said.