Future pandemics will have the same human causes as ancient outbreaks − lessons from anthropology can help prevent them

Human factors − such as how people produce food and how they organize themselves and live together − influence disease outbreaks. The last pandemic was bad, but COVID-19 is only one of many infectious diseases that emerged since the turn of this century. Since 2000, the world has experienced 15 novel Ebola epidemics, the global spread of a 1918-like influenza strain and major outbreaks of three new and unusually deadly coronavirus infections: SARS, MERS and, of course, COVID-19. Every year, researchers discover two or three entirely new pathogens: the viruses, bacteria and microparasites that sicken and kill people. While some of these discoveries reflect better detection methods, genetic studies confirm that most of these pathogens are indeed new to the human species. Even more troubling, these diseases are appearing at an increasing rate. Despite the novelty of these particular infections, the primary factors that led to their emergence are quite ancient. Working in the...