Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Lessons Learned.
Deforestation is increasing the risk of viral spillover from infected animals to humans, as seen in the case of the Ebola outbreak in Meliandou, Guinea. Of six epicenters of previous Ebola outbreaks that were evaluated, five experienced worsening tree loss, "raising their chances of facing the deadly virus again." Despite the high economic and human cost of pandemics, little money has been spent on teaching villagers farming methods that could mitigate their need to clear additional forest.