At least 320,000 mammal-borne viruses could be out there awaiting discovery. By identifying those diseases before they spread to humans, researchers led from Columbia University hope to prevent outbreaks from turning into pandemics. "There aren't millions of unknown virus, just a few hundred thousand," Peter Daszak, one of the study's authors, says in a statement. "Given the technology we have it's possible that in my lifetime, we'll know the identity of every unknown virus on the planet." Nearly 70 percent of emerging viruses — including Ebola, HIV, influenza, SARS, and West Nile — were first found in animals, and they're exactly what the team hopes to identify ahead of time.
via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/3/4689630/mammals-carrying-320000-unidentified-viruses
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