Environmental Health Compromised by a New Epidemic. The case of Uruguay, COVID-19

Abstract

Uruguay is in South America. It has 3,286,314 inhabitants, 1.6% of which lacks comprehensive health insurance. Detected cases of COVID-19 represent 0.022% of the population, 2.6% of which has resulted in death. Mortality from this illness is 0.6% per 100,000 inhabitants, and health workers represent 14% of detected cases. The country is slowly coming out of intensified social distancing. This article reports on accumulated, recovered, and active cases.  The authors also frame the causes of this zoonosis in terms of an environmental health problem, and thus a global health problem, requiring a “one health” approach. Human activity has changed natural habitats as a result of extraction activities, increased urbanization, growing populations, different cultural practices, and socio-economic conditions. This contributes to the emergence of zoonoses, particularly RNA viruses.  If the cause of this phenomenon is not addressed, we will continue to face increasingly greater challenges.