Guardian: "Forget Ebola, Sars and Zika: ticks are the next global health threat"

Andy · Jan 25, 2018

Since the beginning of our species we have been at war. It’s a continuous, neverending fight against the smallest of adversaries: armies of pathogens and parasites. As we have developed new ways to survive and stop them, they have evolved ever more complex and ingenious methods to thwart our efforts.

Humans have faced numerous attempts to challenge our dominance on planet Earth , and from the Black Death to the Spanish flu, we have weathered them all. However, since the start of the 21st century, with its trend towards global interconnectedness, these onslaughts are ever-increasing. In the past 17 years we have battled Sars, the Ebola virus, Mers, and more recently the mysterious mosquito-borne Zika virus. These diseases seeming to appear from nowhere and rapidly ravage our populations. One commonality is that they almost always originate in animals before jumping across to people, and few parasites are as good at jumping between animals and people as the tick.

Ticks could be best described as the used syringes of the natural world due to their promiscuous feeding habits. Most ticks go through three stages in their lives and feed on a different host at each stage, whilst simultaneously collecting hitchhiking microbes in their blood meals. Ticks also have one of the widest distributions of any vector on Earth – they can be found on every continent, including frigid Antarctica. This combination of ubiquity and a bad habit for accumulating pathogenic microbes make ticks some of the most dangerous vectors on the planet.

So why ticks? And why now?
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https://www.theguardian.com/science...-zika-ticks-are-the-next-global-health-threat

Little Bluestem · Jan 27, 2018

Ticks could be best described as the used syringes of the natural world
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That didn't do anything for my dislike of ticks!

Allele · Jan 27, 2018

FINALLY this epidemic is acknowledged in a mainstream paper.

Another disease riddled with denialists, propaganda and patient abuse.

Is this the year chronics get some respect?!?

Allele · Jan 27, 2018

OTOH I'm so cynical, it occurs to me this is could be the advance guard of PR for the vaccine they've been working on.

ladycatlover · Jan 27, 2018

Allele said: ↑

Is this the year chronics get some respect?!?
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I very much doubt it - this is the Grauniad, well known for denying ME and taking the BPS side.

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Guardian: "Forget Ebola, Sars and Zika: ticks are the next global health threat"

Andy Committee Member (& Outreach when energy allows)

Little Bluestem Senior Member (Voting Rights)

Allele Senior Member (Voting Rights)

Allele Senior Member (Voting Rights)

ladycatlover Moderator Staff Member

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Guardian: "Forget Ebola, Sars and Zika: ticks are the next global health threat"

Andy Committee Member (& Outreach when energy allows)

Little Bluestem Senior Member (Voting Rights)

Allele Senior Member (Voting Rights)

Allele Senior Member (Voting Rights)

ladycatlover Moderator Staff Member

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