The next major epidemic may originate in the United States, according to a paper from Harvard Law School and New York University.
According to research, laws are so lax that a virus might readily spread from animals to humans and cause a lethal outbreak.
A Covid-style pandemic
The paper outlines many vulnerable places, including industrial farms where countless numbers of livestock are close to one another and their handlers.
The wild animal trade, where animals are imported with scant health inspections, and the fur trade, where minks and other animals are bred, are two more potential transmission sites.
- Harvard Law School and NYU study suggests the US may be the next major epidemic.
- Wild animal and fur trades may transmit diseases.
- Avian disease unlikely to infect humans in the US, says Peterson.
Natural disease borders have been destroyed by globalization, which has accelerated the movement of animals and diseases across continents. Without much regulation, about 220 million live wild animals are imported into the US each year for use as pets and other reasons.
According to Ashley Peterson, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, it is very unlikely for an avian disease to infect a human being in the United States.
Due to a lack of legislation safeguarding them, farm workers on farms where pigs and chickens are raised are particularly susceptible.
