Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
George Alleyne, Nelson King,
Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, JANUARY 1-7, 2021
By Cristián Samper
Daniel Kopp of International
Politics and Society*
(IPS) interviews Cristián
Samper, President and CEO
of the Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS).
By Cristián Samper
NEW YORK, Dec. 23, 2020
(IPS) – Cristián Samper is
working for the Wildlife Conservation
Society, an organization
that concerns itself
with the health of wildlife all
over the globe. And he warned
— even before the COVID-19
pandemic – about the dangers
of a viral pandemic.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Now how exactly is
wildlife health linked to the
spread of COVID-19?
A: We have to remember
that Covid-19, like many
other diseases, is a zoonotic
disease. We are a species that
shares the planet with millions
of other species and all
of them have viruses. As a
matter of fact, we estimate
there are probably more than
700,000 viruses with zoonotic
potential out there and, from
time to time, some of those
viruses will switch animal
species and sometimes jump
over to humans.
We have been interested in
wildlife health for a long time
because of our work in the
conservation of endangered
species. We have to remember
that almost three-quarters of
the viral diseases that we have
acquired as humans originate
in animals. Understanding
the numerous humanwildlife
interfaces is critical
in terms of preventing future
pandemic diseases as well.
Q: At a conference in October
last year, your organization
revised the One Health
approach, which you call the
Berlin Principles. What is
this more holistic approach
to health about?
A: In 2004, we organised
a conference in New York,
where we brought together
communities that usually
don’t interact. You’ve got the
whole wildlife and conservation
groups, and you’ve got
a whole human health and
medical community. Most of
the time we don’t talk to each
other.
Out of that meeting came
a set of what at that point
were called the Manhattan
Principles, which were introducing
this concept of One
Health.
The good news is that the
general approach of recognizing
the linkages between
human health, wildlife
health, livestock health and
ecosystem health have gained
traction. We see it being used
more and more by different
groups, including the World
Health Organization.
But we did feel it was important
to update these principles
because so much has
changed over time, including
the UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). That led
to the conference that we held
a year ago in Berlin.
We brought over 250
experts from these different
communities together and
that’s where we adopted the
Berlin Principles. They are
ten core practices that we,
as a society, need to embrace
to be able to recognize these
interlinkages.
Q: Your organization
recently published a paper on
how ecological degradation
more broadly increases the
risk of pandemics and viruses
spreading. How is the way
we treat nature more broadly
linked to increased risks in
that regard?
A: That’s correct. One of
the things that we are advocating
is the importance of
the protection of what we call
intact forests and intact ecosystems.
Once you go into an
area and you start degrading
them or opening them up,
you’re disrupting the whole
equilibrium between the various
species.
As you increase the rate of
deforestation in some areas
and people move in there,
you’re increasing the humanwildlife
interface. The likelihood
that humans are coming
into contact with different
kinds of animals increases
dramatic. ally
So, one of the best things
we can do is protect some of
these mainly intact ecosystems
out there — forests and
other systems. That would
not only help with conservation
but it would reduce
human-wildlife interface —
and therefore reduce the likelihood
of pathogen spillovers
with pandemic potential.
Q: In the very specific case
of COVID-19, what should
have happened to prevent the
virus from spreading in the
first place?
A: This is directly tied to the
issue of commercial wildlife
trade and wildlife consumption.
WCS recommends stopping
all commercial trade in
wildlife for human consumption
(particularly and of birds
and mammals) and closing
all such markets. Rigorous
enforcement of existing laws,
regulations, and international
treaties that deal with wildlife
trade and markets is critical
necessary, but this is simply
not enough.
A new paradigm is needed
if we are to avoid a pandemic
such as the one we are
experiencing today. Beyond
that, you need to monitor better.
You need to know what
viruses are out there and you
need to clean up your supply
chains the best we can.
By Lisa Newcomb
From the earliest days of
planning for the development
and distribution of an
efficacious COVID-19 vaccination,
those working in our
nation’s congregate care settings
for seniors, including
assisted living communities,
were prioritized as first in
line to be vaccinated, and
rightfully so: the population
they serve has been universally
identified as among
the most vulnerable. In the
first months of the pandemic,
a common criticism was
that there was not enough
attention or resources given
to long term care settings,
including assisted living, and
there was outsized attention
paid to hospitals. Whether
it be PPE, staffing or financial
assistance, the hospitals
were always first in line. Perhaps,
to some extent, that
was appropriate, but not to
the detriment of other vulnerable
sectors. That should
have been a valuable lesson
learned as adult care facilities/
assisted living residences
continue to suffer from
a lack of resources and a
potentially high incidence of
COVID among the frailest of
our seniors.
That’s why we are baffled
that now, weeks into the vaccination
process, not one
assisted living staff person
or resident has received the
vaccine. Yes, we understand
that there is limited supply,
and the decision has been
made to vaccinate other populations
first. But how is it
that funeral directors, hospital
discharge planners, firefighters
and other frontline
and congregate care setting
staff have begun receiving
the vaccine and assisted living
workers serving very frail
elderly residents have not?
More shocking are recent
reports that hospitals are
hoarding the vaccine for all
their staff and rejecting pleas
to offer it to other critical
health care workers in the
community.
This is unconscionable and
illogical considering the vulnerable
resident population
served. Assisted living residents
and staff deserve better.
Vaccines should be made
available to staff immediately
and residents as soon thereafter
as the supply grows.
Otherwise, the state unnecessarily
risks a repeat of the
large number of nursing
home resident deaths that
occurred in the beginning
months of the pandemic.
Lisa Newcomb is executive
director of the Empire State
Association of Assisted Living
(ESAAL), comprised of
over 300 adult care facilities
throughout New York State,
serving more than 30,000
residents. Contact Lisa at
ESAAL 518-371-2573 ext.
203.
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‘We might have a COVID-21
or COVID-22 coming our way’
Where is vaccine for
assisted living staff
and residents?
/schnepsmedia.com
