国际英语资讯:Conservation found not associated with reduced levels of infectious disease_时事

国际英语资讯:Conservation found not associated with reduced levels of infectious disease

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29 -- Conservation projects that protect forests and encourage a diversity of plants and animals can provide many benefits to humans, but a new study indicates that improved human health is not among those benefits, at least when health is measured through the lens of infectious disease.

In a paper published this week in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, researchers said increased biodiversity, measured as the number of species and amount of forested land, appeared not associated with reduced levels of infectious disease.

In some cases, the researchers who analyzed the relationship between infectious diseases and their environmental, demographic and economic drivers in dozens of countries over 20 years noted disease burdens actually increased as areas became more forested over time.

国际英语资讯:Conservation found not associated with reduced levels of infectious disease1

Surprisingly, they found, increasing urbanization reduced disease, probably because cities bring people closer to medical care and give them greater access to vaccinations, clean water and sanitation.

"There are a lot of great reasons for conservation, but control of infectious disease isn't one of them," said lead author and parasite ecologist Chelsea Wood, an assistant professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington (UW).

"We're not going to improve public health by pushing a single button. This study clearly shows that -- at the country level -- conservation is not a disease-control tool."