AFRICA ( Commonwealth Union) _ The witching hour at Accra Zoo is dusk. It’s the perfect time to test the straw-colored fruit bat colony in captivity for various infections since that’s when they start to stir.The world’s ecosystems depend on bats, yet they are also known to carry a number of viruses. Scientists are researching bats for any tips on how to stop any future epidemics because humans are intruding more and more on their habitats, raising the possibility of new pandemics. The University of Ghana’s veterinary school has sent a team of researchers to this location to examine the bat guano.
Even in the intense heat of Ghana’s rainy season, they dress in full PPE as part of an international attempt to predict the next epidemic. A white tarpaulin is spread out on the ground as they enter the enclosure.
Dr. Richard Suu-ire, the lead researcher, has extensive experience studying bats. PPE is required, he says, “not only to protect the bats from getting anything from us but also to protect you from any infections you may acquire up within the cage. Protection is provided on all sides.
These animals, the only flying mammals, have amazing immune systems, but there are still many unanswered questions. Although they can spread a wide variety of illnesses, bats don’t seem to get sick themselves.
As a part of the global Bat OneHealth project, which looks into how viruses are spread from one species to another and what can be done to stop so-called spillover events, Ghana has joined nations like Bangladesh and Australia.
However, the Covid epidemic has brought attention to the viruses spread by bats. Research on bats has already cost billions of dollars, in part because of their extraordinary immune systems and in part because they can fly such great distances. The health of the globe will depend on our ability to comprehend them better, as they are attempting to do in Ghana.
