Will Meat Cause The Next Pandemic?: Jerry Martin – Tufts University, Global Public Health

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”

This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.

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Humans’ meat consumption is still growing, and doing great damage to nature and climate.  If that’s not bad enough, meat may also cause the next pandemic.  Pandemic pathogens often jump to humans from animals.  Farm raised meat and wildlife markets (“wet markets”) greatly increase opportunities for pathogens to jump from animals to humans, and then spread human-to-human as a pandemic.  Today, we explore these risks, and what can be done about them.

Our guest is Jerry Martin, who has worked for many years to prevent and manage disease outbreaks from animals.  He has traveled the world helping countries develop programs to manage these risks.

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Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Resources:

Jerry Martin article:
STAT – 5/21/20
The growing global appetite for meat increases the risk of future ‘spillover’ pandemics. We can do something about it
https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/21/growing-global-appetite-meat-risk-future-spillover-pandemics/

The program Jerry used to be director of:
DAI: Preparedness and Response (P&R)
https://www.dai.com/our-work/projects/worldwide-preparedness-and-response-pr

Global land used for meat production
Our World in Data
https://ourworldindata.org/land-use

Global meat production, 1961 to 2018
Our World in Data
https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production

Environmental Impacts of Food Production
Our World in Data
https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food

USA Today – 2/16/22
Bird flu detected at multiple chicken and turkey farms in Midwest, South; over 300k affected
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/02/16/bird-flu-affected-chickens-turkeys-midwest/6814375001/

Vox - June 10, 2020
The meat we eat is a pandemic risk, too
https://bit.ly/3xH2Qz3

The Guardian, 9/18/20
A 12-storey pig farm: has China found the way to tackle animal disease?
https://bit.ly/3eRMZ8f

NY Times, 4/29/19
U.N. Issues Urgent Warning on the Growing Peril of Drug-Resistant Infections
https://nyti.ms/3eaapX6

Foreign Policy, 5/21/20
China’s Farms Are Petri Dishes of Antibiotic Resistance
https://bit.ly/3eQcve4 

NY Times, 6/7/19
Warning of ‘Pig Zero’: One Drugmaker’s Push to Sell More Antibiotics
https://nyti.ms/3eL6YFG