Environment UK CU- Humans are said to share most of their genetic make- up with apes and it has long been speculated, on the possibility of zoonotic (diseases transmitted between species) diseases being more transmissible between apes and humans or vice versa. A study conducted by the University of Exeter, NOVA University Lisbon and Ugandan NGO Conservation Through Public Health, which is focusing on 1000 tourists and likely future tourists, via an internet-based questionnaire.
The participants had different views on the effectiveness of face masks which had translated into their willingness to wear one and had different variations according to the country they were from.
The research was conducted during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic where the “Protect Great Apes from Disease” initiative came into effect.
Dr Ana Nuno, of NOVA University Lisbon and the University of Exeter, who led the study stated that they had created guide-training materials for great ape tourism destinations in Africa, where they evaluated the issues effecting tourists on pandemic restrictions. Dr Nuno further stated the study included evaluating visitors’ activity on prior visits and their views on future compliance and the factors that would convince to corporate with restrictions where a tool used in health and literature generally used to learn how people act in or fail to act when facing health threats.
Scientists and medical professionals from across the world are currently in debate on how effective the lockdown measures were and if they had any impact on reducing mortality.
Dr Kim Hockings, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall stated that with advanced knowledge of tourists to wild African great ape destinations, they could identify the possibilities of enhancing measure to lower the spread of disease. Dr Hockings further stated that the study was not just significant for COVID-19 but other infectious diseases as well.
