Region not immune to outbreak of further disease

by Marlon Madden

One University of the West Indies (UWI) official is raising questions about the likelihood of an outbreak of a new infectious disease in the Caribbean due to the eating practices of some residents.

As such, Dr Kirk Douglas, Director for Biosecurity Studies at the Cave Hill Campus of the UWI, said it was critical that regional lawmakers put pertinent measures in place to close a number of gaps to better protect the population.

Douglas was addressing a Centre for Biodiversity Studies zoom session on Thursday, on the topic Safeguarding Lives & Livelihoods: Biosecurity Outlook on COVID-19 and Future Pandemics and Outbreaks.

He said the trade of live animals and the consumption of “wild meat” have proven to be high-risk for the emergence of zoonosis around the world, and the region was no exception.

“So by trying to curtail or manage this in a better way we can prevent the movement of pathogens and exotic species across borders,” said Douglas.

Zoonosis is an infectious disease caused by a pathogen that can be transferred from an animal to a human.

Douglas raised concerns that certain social and cultural norms in the Caribbean were in “conflict” with public health concerns.

“What about the Caribbean? Do we have a similar situation like we have in Asia? We do engage in the consumption of wildlife – from turtles, to agouti (a rodent), mountain chicken or frogs. We have to then take a look at our social and cultural [practices] and question how safe are we? Is it possible that we can have a zoonotic outbreak emerging from the Caribbean? It is quite possible,” said Douglas.

He pointed out that a recent study done in Guyana had found that 15 men had contracted leptospirosis from the consumption of agouti.

“So the next question is, is there need for an update in the regional biosecurity legislation that will help to inform national governments and legislations to be able to help reduce the risk of human and wildlife contact to preserve life and preserve livelihoods?” he said.

The researcher said there were several gaps in the region including an inconsistent approach to biodiversity, heavy dependence on tourism and inadequate social safety net, weak or no biotech sector, high levels of chronic non-communicable diseases, lack of food security, inadequate sustainable waste management systems, no formal ethics legislation, outdated legislation concerning human and wildlife interaction, evasive species and pollution.

However, he said there were also some “opportunities” to create a stronger and more resilient regional biodiversity sector including the strengthening of non-governmental organisations, biotech sector development, strengthening of regional security systems, use of sustainable agricultural practices, creating a regional ethics body, and comprehensive legislative reform.

Stating that the region faced multiple threats form a zoonotic outbreak and transmission, Douglas said there was need for greater biodiversity assessments to better assess the risks.

“Right across the Caribbean we engage in certain cultural norms that we don’t view with a lot of scepticism as we would in the East Asian cultures, but we do have some cultures we have to look at,” he said.

“For example you go hunting for agouti, which is a form of rodent . . . and you can also be exposed to aerosols that may be contaminated and persons may contract a virus or bacteria from this. So we really have to revisit our biodiversity legislation and see if there are gaps that can be closed to help make the regional biodiversity system much more robust and resilient,’ he warned.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb