"Humanity is ramping up the risk of global health disasters by intruding deep into the world’s bat habitats, breeding grounds for deadly viruses. In this five-part series, Reuters pinpoints the places where the next outbreaks are likeliest."
"Clearing forests to satisfy our thirst for cocoa, rubber, beef and gold and building new roads and rail lines brings bats and humans into ever-closer contact.
As the contact increases so do outbreaks of bat-borne diseases, which have killed millions of people worldwide over the last two decades. Reuters has identified areas in 113 countries, on every continent except Antarctica, where conditions are ripe for such disasters to happen again."
SEE ALSO:
Part 2: "How a Deadly Bat Virus Found New Ways To Infect People" (Reuters)
Part 4: "Deep in the Amazon, Scientists Race Against Time To Identify Unknown Pathogens" (Reuters)
Part 5: "Bats Carry Killer Viruses. Scientists Suggest Ways To Cope." (Reuters)