To prevent the next pandemic, scientists search for animal zero

Photo by Nick Garbutt / Barcroft Media / Barcroft Media via Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic that’s currently ravaging the world started with a simple virus in an animal. Viruses like this, which can jump from animal to human, are called zoonotic viruses. They account for 75 percent of all the emerging diseases people grapple with today and are one of the most critical areas of study when it comes to protecting public health.Epidemiologist Christine Kreuder Johnson knows that a virus ca