Viral Spillover

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Context

• Viral spillover risk is increasing with climate change in High Arctic lake sediments- Study by UK’s The Royal Society.

What is Spillover?

• Spillover is literallythe transmission of a virus from one “reservoir” species, in which it habitually circulates, to a new “host” species, in which it can die or adapt and possibly even trigger an epidemic. Examples include SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, HIV, measles and seasonal flu viruses. 

Watch this Video: https://youtu.be/lFo_NAHupZY

• Spillover of novel pathogens typically occurs through the intersection of the agent (eg, viruses, bacteria, parasites) with livestock, vectors, wildlife, or even the natural environment.

The recent study

• In this study, it was found that the risk of viral spillovers increases with changes in the environment at a particular location, driven by global warming.
• Climate change leads to shifts in species ranges and distributions, new associations can emerge, bringing in vectors that can mediate viral spillovers.
• Climate change could shift the species range of certain viral vectors and reservoirs northwards, and the High Arctic zone (regions of Canada within the Arctic Circle such as the Northern islands) and could become fertile ground for emerging pandemics.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/what-viral-spillover-risk-means-how-it-could-lead-to-new-pandemics-8223753/