Are We Still Men?

Let me start by first of all disabusing your mind about the title of this piece. If you are reading this, then certainly you are a man, I mean the generic term that refers to the human race without regard to his or her sex. I am yet to come across any animal that reads, that does not mean that some animal pet (dog, cat or parrot) somewhere may not have been thought to read, but I'm not sure that kind of animal would be reading this. In any case, what I want to say is that I do not, by the title of this piece suggest that anyone is any less a man or has ceased to be a man on account of the strange assaults on our common heritage as members of the human race. But these strange occurrences got me thinking and asking questions.

The first of the strange happenings was the bird flu plague. It was in 2006 the world was first caught in the grip of the dreadful plague scientists prefer to call Avian flu. But for us the lay men it was bird flu. The term captured the essence of the disease because, at the end of the day, what it came down to is that it is a sort of influenza or cold that birds suffer from. It is not like chicken pox that is only chicken in name but actually attacks human beings. But in 2006, bird flu came with a strange tang to it, it decided to extend its frontiers of attack to men. And it did it so well that in just three days it succeeded in snuffing life out of, first three men in quick succession, then it began to spread form country to country. The quick pace at which it was striking and killing men made doctors to raise alarm about the disease. But the hang of it is that a disease for animals (birds in this case) had succeeded in infecting man, visiting him with quick death.
Then last month, swine flu came to town. Swine flu is the kind of cold and catarrh that pigs suffer from. This time around it did not restrict itself to pigs, it infected men too. This trend of infection began in Mexico where it killed about 150 people. In the United States, 66 cases were reported. Other countries where swine flu in humans was confirmed include New Zealand, Britain, Canada, Spain, Germany and Israel. Mercifully, it did not strike in any African country.

But that cannot be any serious cause for joy because technology has shrunk the size of the world so much that it does not take very long for a disease to spread from one country to another. It is, however, instructive that this transfer of diseases from animals to man have almost always originated from the so called developed countries. When they eventually land in Africa they assume a different dimension and literally take on a life of their own. Sooner or later, the world would label them as African diseases, just like they have done to HIV/AIDS. But that is an issue for another day.

The main question that has not ceased to agitate my mind since the onset of this phenomenon is, what has gone wrong with the human race that it is now sharing diseases with beasts? The answer that scientists have so far provided for the trend is that the viruses responsible for these diseases “mutate over time causing small changes to proteins on their surface called antigens.” This change makes them capable of infecting the human system. Very simple!

But for me, that throws up a barrage of new questions: What is the cause of the sudden mutation of these viruses? Why is it that such dangerous mutation is only beginning to take place now in the 21st century? Above all, what has gone so wrong with modern man that he is now the target of viruses that were hitherto restricted to animals? In other words, why are these viruses so interested in infecting man that they have to take the pains to mutate? On the other hand, is it that man is getting closer to beasts by the day to warrant his sharing diseases with them? When I say getting closer, I do not mean closer in terms of space. Man and animals, especially domestic and farm animals, have always lived close. In rural African communities, there are people who sleep in the same room with their chickens and goats and have never been known to contact diseases from these animals. If not we would have had cases of humans contacting coccidiosis, especially in Africa.

I think scientists should probe deeper into this trend of bestial viruses developing a predilection for infecting man and the exact cause of the mutation. Lest in the future we would begin to have men contacting not just diseases like coccidiosis, but also plant diseases like Cassava Bacteria Blight.

May the good Lord have mercy on mankind! Did I hear you say, “Amen?”