Green Options

Just months after the swine flu pandemic panicked the world, varying strains of the Ebola virus have been discovered in pigs, and they may be jumping between swine and humans effortlessly.

Researchers, who reported their findings in the journal Science, are concerned that pigs are providing a melting pot where the virus could mutate into something deadlier. And they warned that the emergence of Ebola in the human food chain is “of serious concern.”

National boundaries have become more porous, climate change has allowed opportunistic plants, insects and animals the chance to find niches in novel ecosystems, and populations have become more closely housed – regardless of whether they are penned pigs or studio-dwelling urbanites - all these factors increase the risks of diseases becoming epidemic, both nationally and internationally.