The real pandemic

Thanks to the Spokesman-Review for publishing in the Saturday, Feb. 28, edition, “What you need to know about COVID-19,” including the “In Perspective” statistics about COVID-19, SARS, MERS, Ebola, and the influenza virus’s death rates.

There are other pandemics that are affecting the human race that people hardly think about. For instance, each year, 1.35 million people are killed on roadways around the world. The WHO estimates that 4.6 million people die each year from causes attributable to air pollution. People drinking contaminated waters estimated to cause 485,000 diarrheal deaths each year. An average of about 200,000 people die from toxic exposure to pesticides per year – around the world.

At least 108 million people were killed in wars in the twentieth century. Estimates for the total number killed in wars throughout all of human history range from 150 million to 1 billion. Chronic diseases are responsible for 1.7 million Americans dying each year. Worldwide, 1 billion children are living in poverty and according to UNICEF, poverty causes 22,000 children to die each year. The UN reports nearly 850,000 people die from lack of access to good water, sanitation and hygiene.

Don’t you think it’s about time that world governments stop spending money on wars, and start thinking about taking care of Mother Earth and its inhabitants?

John Wodynski

Cheney