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A DISTORTED STORYTELLING IS STILL ALIVE. RAPID RESPONSE TO THE EDITOR OF BMJ: COVID-19, A PANDEMIC WITH AN ASYMMETRIC STORYTELLING PDF Stampa E-mail

In the "CoViD-19 media arena" on the emergence of new viral "variants of concern" (VOCs), it seems bizarre that, when dealing with either "past" ("alfa", "beta", "gamma", "delta") or "current" VOCs like "omicron", an almost exclusive reference is made to "viral-human host interaction".
By doing so, we "forget" that 23 different animal species have been hitherto deemed naturally and/or experimentally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection! Furthermore, at least 70% of "emerging infectious diseases" have either a documented or suspect origin from one or more animal reservoirs, as already shown for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV betacoronaviruses and as largely postulated also for SARS-CoV-2. Although the vast majority of SARS-CoV-2 trajectories imply interhuman transmission as the prevailing mode of infection, several "man-to-animal viral spillovers" have been reported, with some "animal-to-man viral spillbacks" having been additionally described. Nevertheless, the "CoViD-19 media storytelling" continues to be mostly, if not entirely, focused on the "virus-human host interaction", within a senselessly "anthropocentric and anthropomorphic world". How far from this is the concept/principle of "One Health", which continuously reminds us that human, animal and environmental health are reciprocally and inextricably linked to each other! (Source: G. Di Guardo, BMJ 11.08.22)