How bad for humans is wildlife trade? A new study has answers - NPR

A new study examines how legal and illegal wildlife trade — from pangolins to Gambian giant rats and other exotic species — raises the risk of infectious disease spillovers to humans, using historical examples like the 2003 U.S. mpox outbreak linked to imported African rodents. The findings show how animal markets and trade chains create opportunities for pathogens to jump species and highlight public-health vulnerabilities, including reduced disease testing capacity that could hinder outbreak detection. The planned release of sterile mosquitoes by a major tech research program illustrates a contrasting human intervention aimed at preventing vector-borne disease, underscoring that both wildlife trade and technological fixes reflect how human actions can either increase or attempt to reduce disease risk. Together, these stories emphasize the need to weigh benefits, surveillance capacity, and ecological consequences when managing disease threats tied to animals.