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Deforestation in the Amazon Raises Risk of New Pandemics. Understand How Activities Like Gold Mining and Burning Threaten Global Health.
The Amazon, home to rich biodiversity and thousands of still-unknown species, is under increasing pressure.
The destruction caused by deforestation, illegal gold mining, and large infrastructure projects not only threatens the environment but also creates the ideal setting for the emergence of new viruses with pandemic potential.
Experts like Felipe Naveca, a public health researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), point out that mysterious diseases have already emerged in the region, such as in Roraima in 2022.
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At that time, patients presented symptoms similar to dengue, zika, and chikungunya, but tests came back negative. Later, the oropouche virus, endemic to the Amazon, was identified.
Since then, this virus has spread to states such as Amazonas, Acre, Rondônia, and more recently to Bahia, Espírito Santo, and even Santa Catarina. There are also reports outside Brazil, in the Americas and Europe.
What Is Spillover and Why Is It Concerning?
The term spillover refers to the “jump” of an infectious agent from animals to humans. It is at this moment that zoonotic diseases — those transmitted by animals — can turn into epidemics or pandemics.
According to biologist Joel Henrique Ellwanger from UFRGS, this jump typically occurs when there is human interference in balanced ecosystems.
In the Amazon, the great diversity of species and the lack of knowledge about many of these organisms increase the risk.
Deforestation, Gold Mining, and Diseases: The Perfect Storm
Studies indicate that human practices such as gold mining, deforestation, and road construction increase exposure to unknown viruses.
Illegal mining is one of the biggest threats, as it not only destroys the natural habitat, but also contaminates the soil with mercury — a substance that weakens the immune system.
The construction of highways, such as the historic Belém-Brasília, facilitates the migration of vectors — disease-carrying insects — to urban and populated areas, creating new infection hotspots.
Limited Knowledge About Microorganisms in the Amazon
A historical survey conducted in the 1950s by a virology lab funded by the Rockefeller Foundation isolated over 2,000 strains of viruses in Belém do Pará. Many of these viruses are still unknown to science.
According to historian Rômulo de Paula Andrade from the Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, this number shows how little we know about the risks of the Amazon to global health. “The degradation of the forest creates a dangerous combination of factors, facilitating the emergence of new infectious diseases,” he summarizes.
The Role of Public Policies and Science
The only effective way to prevent new pandemics originating from the Amazon, according to experts, is to act on two main fronts: environmental preservation and investment in scientific research.
Demarcating indigenous lands and creating conservation units are essential measures to curb deforestation. These areas, according to Ellwanger, show the highest preservation rates.
On the scientific side, it is crucial to identify emerging viruses, understand their functioning, and develop diagnosis and treatment strategies. Monitoring areas of transition between forest and human occupation can accelerate the detection of new outbreaks.
The Forest Is Alive — And Its Fate Affects the Whole World
The Amazon is more than a national biome: it is a natural barrier between ecological balance and global-scale health crises. When the forest is destroyed, the risks of new pandemics increase, which could repeat tragedies like that of COVID-19 on an even larger scale.
Therefore, protecting the Amazon is a public health issue, not just for Brazil, but for the entire planet.
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