A Viral Witch Hunt - Bats and COVID-19
4/2/2020
Merlin Tuttle's op-ed, “A Viral Witch Hunt,” published in Issues in Science and Technology on March 27, 2020 illustrates how misguided focus on bats as sources of scary diseases threatens an invaluable resource and leads to misdirection of public health resources.
It’s a call to action to improve our personal health as well as that of the natural world. To hold both scientists and news media accountable for reporting facts in perspective, instead of out-of-context speculation that leads to panic and irresponsible actions. And to stop the misappropriation of public health funding.
Blaming bats or pangolins for the COVID-19 outbreak is pointless and pointing to bats as possible sources of long-ago pangolin infection is irrelevant. Despite the current focus on pandemics, responsible stewardship should be the dominant concern of our time.
Please share this widely.
Further Reading
Covid-19: The Public Scapegoating Of Bats Needs To Stop By Sheema Abdul Aziz, PhD
- Merlin Tuttle
