Source of coronavirus | Can bats infect human directly? | The Encyclopedia | Lucky Ali Saifi

Source of Coronavirus/ COVID-19 

Since the Coronavirus spread and came in news that the likely source of the Coronavirus is bats, numerous cases of people killing the bats have surfaced across the world because the people are scared that these bats might infect them, and they might contract the Coronavirus.

So the question is that were the bats so dangerous that they could have spread Coronavirus? If yes, then how and to what extent?

And if you happen to see a bat in your vicinity, how should you react?

Is the Coronavirus originated from bats?

A virus related to COVID-19 has been found in bats in only one specific species of bats, and in total, there are more than 1400 species of bats in the world. So an ancestor of SARS COV 2 has been found in one out of the 1400 species of bats.

Recently, ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) came out with a new report that a new coronavirus has been discovered in bats, which is quite similar to SARS COV 2 (the virus which is spreading COVID 19 all across the world today)

Can bats infect humans directly?

The detail is that the Coronavirus found in bats is similar (and not the same). This virus cannot infect humans. It cannot transmit to humans, and neither can you get infect COVID 19 from it. The infection in bats is different, and SARS COV 2 is different. COVID-19 is ultimately a human virus.

Is SARS COV 2 originated from bats?

The virus in bats is similar to SARS COV 2; Scientists believe that the Coronavirus is an ancestor of SARS COV 2 and this virus. that's why it is being concluded in the news that probably, bats are the likely source of SARS COV-2, 

Pangolin

The scientists believe that this virus got transmitted from the bats into another animal right now; evidence points that it got transferred into Pangolin. (Pangolin is a scarce animal, is the world's most trafficked animal. This animal is traded most widely in the wildlife trade today.). The bats cannot transmit this virus to humans directly, even if bats are also the source. If there is a bat with SARS COV 2, it cannot send us the virus directly. The virus found in bats, which is similar to SARS COV 2, is called RATG 13. It is a different virus; as per scientific evidence, it got transmitted to the Pangolin and spread to humans from the Pangolins, then it became SARS COV 2.

In the Ebola case, Scientists found that this virus originated in bats, which got transmitted to chimpanzees or deer and then spread to humans from there. 

So first, there was an intermediate host- a chimpanzee or a deer.

Should people afraid of bats or not?

No, not at all. There is no need to be afraid of bats related diseases, particularly the COVID 19. There is no need to be scared of bats, bats are wild creatures, and there is a simple way to co-exist with every wild animal- be it a rat or a snake or a tiger. Let them live in their space while you stay in yours. Even if there is a bat outside your home, let it be; there is no need to kill them.

Nipah virus can spread from bats only when they've eaten the fruit; they chew the nut and then throw it. Suppose you make the mistake of picking up a dropped fruit and eating it. In that case, you have chances of contracting the Nipah virus and not only bats if you come into contact with any animal's saliva that if you directly consume an unclean thing- then you will contract some other disease if not Nipah.

Why all these viruses originate in bats?

There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, the immune system of bats is powerful, and bats are the sole mammals that fly. A unique feature about bats is that they have a robust immune system. Most of these viruses originate in bats because they get a live host and a transmitter to transmit it to other animals. The bats' immune system is such string, Immune system of the bat can use it to develop a vaccine in some way.

Several labs are studying the immune system of the bats. The bats live for quite long; they weigh 5-6 grams and live for 20-30 years.

Bats are a significant animal species in reality.

It has two essential functions.

• Pollination of flowers and fruits
• Control of pests

 The bats that control the pests by eating mosquitoes and insects cannot be done even by pesticides; scientists have estimated that the cocoa farmers in Indonesia, the worth of the bats' help in controlling their pests is worth 800 million US dollars. If bats are not there, the farmers would have to spend this much money annually for pest control. Similarly, it has been estimated that in the US, the bats save 22 billion US dollars every year for the corn farmers in pest control.

The population of mosquitoes and insects will grow in the absence of bats. If the people of bats would drop in an area, then it'd mean that the people of mosquitoes in that area would be more, and the diseases spread by them would also rise. For example- Dengue and Chikungunya. A cyclone hit us recently. This time, the hurricane traveled through a path beside the mangroves, but if the storms move through the mangroves, they control the cyclones' force to no small extent.

Bats are the creatures that pollinate the flowers of the mangroves the most, so this is an essential function of the bats. Bats are responsible for saving the mangroves. So it is necessary to protect the bats to deal with future natural disasters.

The bats help in the spread of mangroves. If the mangroves are kept intact along the coasts, it will increase the chances of staying safe from natural calamities like cyclones. So the real reason behind the spread of the Coronavirus is the global wildlife trade. The capturing and sale of animals illegally, for traditional Chinese medicine, can sometimes be used as a luxury food.

As for the example of Pangolin, most experts believe that it is the intermediate host in the spread of corona. This virus got transmitted from the bats to the Pangolins and finally infected humans; Pangolin is the world's most trafficked animal. The extent to which it is illegal trafficked, so we need to end things like this if we want to stop the spread of diseases.

All animals around us have some virus or other, but what is important is the virus gets transmitted to humans; almost all viruses get transmitted to humans, mostly due to human activities.

Our government recently permitted coal mining in the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve. How will things work out if forests are cut down like this? We will have to raise your voice on issues like this.

Bats are essential creatures. They are not pests like they are believed to be. We will have to protect them, keeping their importance in mind.