While deforestation in the DRC may not have brought ZEBOV to Guinea, it’s possible that it still played a significant role in the emergence of Ebola among West African human populations. If enough bats migrated out West due to habitat displacement, increased population density would boost ZEBOV transmission… Resulting in above average Ebola prevalence among reservoir bats. This enabling condition – paired with the common Guinean practice of poaching bats – might have created viable circumstances for emergence among humans… But this is just one possible theory.
Understanding Ebola’s emergence in Guinea might help us prevent similar outbreaks in the future. While the NEJM article gives us valuable insight into the virus that’s responsible for #Ebola2014, it can’t be considered in isolation when addressing this challenge. The animals that carry the disease and the environment in which they live are equally important. We must also be willing to take a step back and look at the ecosystem system that connects them.


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