Wildlife trade poses pandemic risk through pathogen exposure, epidemiologist warns

Billions of live animals move through the legal and illegal wildlife trade, a massive industry a former CDC epidemiologist described as “pandemic roulette.” Traded animals move to places they never would have been otherwise, encountering species—and pathogens—they never would have been exposed to…

First covered Jun 14, 2026 · 1:50 AM PT · 1 article · no longer in the live window

Coverage

12d Inside Climate News Pandemic Roulette — Billions of live animals move through the legal and illegal wildlife trade, a massive industry a former CDC epidemiologist described as “pandemic roulette.”…

Appeared in: 2026-06-14 (#6)

← Back to the brief