Emerging Disease Hotspots
EcoHealth Alliance is working to discover emerging diseases using a first-of-its kind predictive map of disease hotspots. EcoHealth Alliance scientists uncovered the specific factors that make a region predisposed to disease emergence by collecting data on outbreaks over the past 50 years. By identifying potential infectious disease threats, we can protect both public and environmental health.
As the leading cause of human fatalities worldwide, infectious diseases lead to the deaths of 14 million people per year. Additionally, over three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are a result of zoonotic pathogens (i.e. originating from wild our domestic animals and spreading to humans). EcoHealth Alliance scientists are actively working in many countries to identify potential infectious disease threats through viral discovery. Maps like the one you see at the top of this page show where new diseases are likely to emerge given where they have emerged in the past.
EcoHealth Alliance scientists are on the front lines of disease emergence and discovery. In Malaysia and China we are testing people and wildlife for new and potentially dangerous viruses. Hunting wild animals for food brings people into close contact with a multitude of species and a vast number of potential new diseases. Working with the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, EcoHealth Alliance is studying the risk of viral emergence in highly exposed groups of people.