The “Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World” exhibit <link> in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History explains the perfect storm that we’ve brought upon ourselves:
The more of the planet humans take over, the more we inadvertently make it a viral paradise, and a dangerous place for us to live. The exhibit shows that our vulnerability to viral infection depends on our proximity to other animals and humans.
Source: Quartz, June 18, 2018. Link.
. . . more of us are moving to ever-growing cities, creating fantastic opportunities for viruses to jump from human host to human host. In cases where the limits of urban areas expand into formerly wild environments, or when forests are cleared for farming, animal contact becomes more common. And when humans and animals share space, they also share microbiology—which is where our trouble starts.
INSIGHTS: For animal health pros, this overview is a must-read. Share the article liberally within your own networks. As our human populations grow, pathogens capable of killing us will thrive.
Thanks to mutations, there are more than 200 “zoonotic” viruses that can jump between animals and humans, including notorious infections like HIV, Ebola, hepatitis, hanta virus, and several strains of the flu. These are the ones we’re not ready for.