West Nile virus arrived in North America in 1999 and spread across the continent by 2005. Here’s what you need to know about this mosquito-borne pathogen.
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Articles on Zoonotic viruses
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Evidence is mounting for links to animals at the Wuhan wet market. But we’ve wasted a lot of time and energy getting here.
The Marburg virus, a close cousin of Ebola, currently has no approved treatments or vaccines to protect against it.
While a small proportion of people have become ill while in contact with infected birds, there is no evidence it has spread from human to human.
Authorities have been warned about five virus families that could cause future pandemics. Here are snapshots of the diseases each can cause and why we should be worried.
For the lab leak theory to be true, SARS-CoV-2 must have been present in the Wuhan Institute of Virology before the pandemic started. But there’s not a single piece of data suggesting this.
Data suggests most of the time infection results in either no symptoms or very mild disease for cats and dogs. And the duration of their symptoms, if they get them, may be very short.
This is not the first time that the monkeypox virus has spread beyond Africa, its continent of origin. But the current epidemic is unprecedented for a number of reasons.
We can use AI to protect nature and human health. But first, we have to expand AI beyond being entirely human-centred.
Avian influenza virus — or bird flu — can infect domestic poultry such as chickens and turkeys, as well as wild birds. The H5N1 strain has been identified in Canada.
Two cases of monkeypox have been reported in Australia. Resurgence of this virus could be due to the ending of smallpox vaccination.
Scientists exploring the possibility of an animal origin for Covid-19 are still investigating the missing link between bats and human beings.
The delay in finding definitive answers to how novel infectious diseases come about is not unusual. Look at what happened to our search for Ebola virus.
Given the small number of people that have been affected, the threat to the wider community is low.
One Health recognizes the interrelations between the health of humans, other animals, and their shared environments. It should be integrated in the international treaty on pandemics.
We analysed the legal systems regulating the wildlife trade in China. Here’s what we found.
Recent developments have shown that Nigeria requires improved surveillance to keep other diseases like Monkeypox at bay while battling COVID-19.
Scientists get up close and personal with deadly pathogens to give doctors the tools they need to treat people sickened by germs. The key is keeping the researchers – and everyone around them – safe.
Bat hosts, lab leaks – tracing SARS-CoV-2 to its origins involves more than just tracking down patient zero.
A more coordinated effort by scientists, stakeholders and community members will be required to stop the next deadly virus that’s already circulating in our midst.
Top contributors
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Public Health Pathology, NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, University of Sydney
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Directeur régional Asie du Sud-Est, vétérinaire et épidémiologiste, Cirad
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Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, James Cook University
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Cameron Webb is a Friend of The Conversation.
Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney
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Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University
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Adjunct Associate Professor James Cook University and University Fellow Charles Darwin University, James Cook University
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Virologist, Queen's University Belfast
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Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney
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Alborada Lecturer in Epidemiology, University of Cambridge
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Associate Professor, University of the Free State
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Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science
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Reader in Anthropology, Brunel University London
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Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University
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Senior Research Associate, Institute for the Future of Knowledge, University of Johannesburg
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Director, Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University
