The Philippines should establish its own virology and vaccine institute considering that the country has three viruses that are in the same family as pathogens identified by WHO as having “pandemic potential” — with a possible fourth on the horizon. READ:
, which caused an outbreak with a mortality rate of between 45% and 70% in Sultan Kudarat in 2014 .
“It would be the first record in Asia,” said Phillip A. Alviola, a wildlife biologist and an associate professor at UP Los Baños’ Institute of Biological Sciences, who was part of the team that found genetic evidence of the presence of the poxvirus. “Biodiversity fragility drives zoonotic disease [diseases from animals] emergence. That’s why I’m saying let’s not just focus on diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics,” he said.
While the number of bat and bird species in Southeast Asia makes it vulnerable to zoonotic diseases, it may also hold the key to the solution. “Our rich biodiversity is still not well understood, and therefore remains untapped for its full benefits for health and wellness,” said Theresa Mundita S. Lim, executive director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity.
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