Can Great Apes Be Vaccinated Against Ebola and Other Diseases?

pic by (Darrell Gulin/Corbis)

Vaccinations could be the best defense against devastating population drops

Over the last 20 years, the wild populations of many of the world’s great apes have drastically declined. Recent surveys have suggested that several species of large primates, including chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas, have experienced severe losses in population numbers. Now, some conservationists say that vaccinating great apes against diseases like the Ebola virus might be the quickest and most effective short-term step towards saving them from extinction.

Despite the efforts of conservationists working with governments to establish nature reserves and sanctuaries where our primate cousins are protected from poachers and habitat loss, the spread of diseases can have a large impact on struggling great ape populations. According to a new report by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Flora and Fauna International and the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, the eastern lowland gorilla population alone has plummeted from 17,000 in 1995 to about 3,800, Dominique Bonessi reports for the PBS Newshour.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-are-trying-vaccinate-great-apes-against-ebola-and-other-diseases-180958725/#8KeDZUo1Q9k8t8HY.99
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