On the go

It’s not only people who travel the world. Viruses, bacteria or other pathogens travel too – in goods containers or even inside our own bodies. Some have been known to humanity for a long time, others are new. Many are of animal origin. As humans continue to encroach on nature, new opportunities for pathogens to jump from animal to human are created. In this process, viruses can mutate and potentially infect many people worldwide. Such infectious diseases are called zoonoses. To reduce the risk of further zoonotic epidemics in the future, we need to better protect ecosystems and biodiversity. And think of the health of humans, animals and the environment as one.