"The Bat Lands: The Next Pandemic May Come From Bats"

"Humanity is ramping up the risk of global health disasters by intruding deep into the world’s bat habitats, breeding grounds for deadly viruses. In this five-part series, Reuters pinpoints the places where the next outbreaks are likeliest."

"Clearing forests to satisfy our thirst for cocoa, rubber, beef and gold and building new roads and rail lines brings bats and humans into ever-closer contact.

As the contact increases so do outbreaks of bat-borne diseases, which have killed millions of people worldwide over the last two decades. Reuters has identified areas in 113 countries, on every continent except Antarctica, where conditions are ripe for such disasters to happen again."

A Reuters data analysis May 16, 2023, the first of its kind, reveals how human incursions into the world’s bat lands are laying tracks for the next global health pandemic.

Part 2: "How a Deadly Bat Virus Found New Ways To Infect People" (Reuters)

Part 3: "China, Birthplace Of The COVID Pandemic, Is Laying Tracks For Another Global Health Crisis" (Reuters)

Part 4: "Deep in the Amazon, Scientists Race Against Time To Identify Unknown Pathogens" (Reuters)

Part 5: "Bats Carry Killer Viruses. Scientists Suggest Ways To Cope." (Reuters)

"Where Did COVID Come From? We May Never Know." (Reuters)

"How Reuters Identified Bat-Virus Risk Zones" (Reuters)