The renowned epidemiologist, veterinarian and member of the GRASP Scientific Commission, who has helped trace the origin of some of the world’s deadliest disease outbreaks, has been awarded UNEP’s 2020 “Champion of the Earth” for Science and Innovation.
His PhD research in Côte D’Ivoire on disease in chimpanzees was followed by a search for great ape pathogens in human populations. Revealing how pathogens such as Anthrax transfer from animals to humans pushed the frontiers. In 2014, days after Ebola was confirmed in Guinea, Fabian took a research team to the field to find its origins. Beginning in the village of Meliandou where some of the first cases had occurred, he approached villagers who were enthusiastic to help. “They know their village, they know where the animals are” said Fabian, appreciative of the guidance the team received. Through a two-year old boy believed to be ‘patient zero’, the outbreak was traced to Angolan free-tailed bats suspected as an Ebola reservoir.
Buffer zones separating humans from wild animals shrink with urban population growth, agricultural encroachment and illegal mining, meaning more people and presence in natural environments. “Exchange of pathogens between humans and wildlife” says Fabian “is a rising risk”, with pandemic potential also rising. Increased mobility means that with “a spill-over from a pathogen to the human population it is easier for it to reach a big city and from there to travel around the world.” Fabian warns that animals are at risk from human pathogens. A known example is the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire where guides and researchers inadvertently infected the great apes. The 2015 publication of hygiene and training guidelines for humans, including tourists, who enter national parks with great apes was a result of Fabian’s efforts.
The risk of COVID-19 leaping from humans to apes led Fabian, along with 25 experts, to publish a letter in Nature calling for tourism and research trips to cease. Recognising the costs, they observed that “such efforts should include ways to offset loss of earnings from tourism, while taking care not to interfere with work to save human lives.”
Commenting on Fabian’s accolade, UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen, said “the science is clear that if we keep exploiting wildlife and destroying our ecosystems, then we can expect to see a steady stream of zoonotic diseases in the years ahead. To prevent future outbreaks, we must protect and restore our natural environment.” Fabian makes the point that everyone can help protect wild animals through their consumer choices and the politicians they support. “Environment, human and animal health are connected,” he says. “We need to see this bigger picture and support those who work and fight to protect and restore nature.”
