Rabies, Ebola or the new coronavirus: Viruses from the animal kingdom can be dangerous to humans. A possible counter-strategy: Vaccinate wild animals with vaccines that, just like viruses, spread independently in a population. The idea sounds good, but it’s not entirely without its pitfalls.
The virus that causes Covid-19 jumped to humans from animals, just like HIV, Ebola, and so many others before it. While scientists race to develop a safe and effective vaccine for the new disease, hundreds of thousands of people have already died.
Scientists still debate whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in a bat or a pangolin. But they are sure that this coronavirus is only the most recent example of a zoonosis — an infectious disease that passes from animals to humans.
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that has dominated the news since early 2020 has something in common with other diseases that have hit the headlines in recent years.