we must study viral ecology to prevent new epidemics

Recently Africa has seen the resurgence of Ebola virus in the largest outbreak hitherto recorded in the current history. This outbreak scared people worldwide and required the intervention of the World Health Organization, governments of several countries, medical and research institutions and non-governmental organizations such as Doctors Without Borders. In Brazil, the number of dengue cases in 2015 was the largest ever recorded (1,649,008 probable cases¹) and the increasing number of people infected with Chikungunya and Zika viruses shows that the country is not prepared to deal with the proliferation of the mosquito Aedes aegypti, the main vector of Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Additionally, big events like the Olympic Games (that will be held in Brazil in 2016) can facilitate the international spread of these viral diseases. This alert was recently reinforced by Bogoch and colleagues when discussing the probable pattern of the Zika virus spread from Brazil to other countries. ² The examples of diseases caused by different viruses demonstrate one crucial fact: neglected viruses emerge and proliferate, when favorable ecological conditions are in place. What does that mean? Environmental disturbances and their influence on these pathogens are and will increasingly be a global problem. This becomes an even greater concern when scientific communities and government do not give the necessary attention to this issue.

Environmental disturbances are also largely related to socioeconomic factors. Thus, it should be considered that epidemics are a problem with social and environmental aspects. For example, economic and social factors (such as wildlife hunting) associated with environmental factors (such as deforestation) are quoted as facilitators for the emergence of zoonotic diseases. These factors facilitate the transmission of viruses from wild animal to humans (an excellent review on these issues was conducted by Pike and collegues³).

Returning to the example of the most recent Ebola virus outbreak. It is believed that disordered human occupation of forest areas has contributed to the passage of the virus from their natural hosts to the human population. In addition, poor living conditions and the precarious health institutions of affected countries must have contributed to pathogen dissemination. Furthermore, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses infect people through mosquitoes bite, and the proliferation of these vectors is facilitated by increasing urban waste, allowing water accumulation, and thus creating an environment conducive to the proliferation of mosquito larvae. Again, these examples highlight how environmental disturbances interfere in the viral ecology and contribute to the increase of cases of viral diseases

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