Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Scientists are warning that climate change and deforestation increase the risks of outbreaks of deadly diseases such as Ebola. How big is the danger? And what action can we take?
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Dr Neil Vora is a so-called “disease doctor” - an epidemiologist who has travelled the world to help trace the sources of outbreaks of Ebola, cow pox and rabies.
Dr Vora tells The Climate Question hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar about his specialism in zoonotic diseases, which are caused by infections passing from animals to humans.
He is worried that the combination of climate change and cutting down forests will lead to more human-animal contact, and that the higher stress levels experienced by animals such as bats and monkeys will make them more likely to pass on deadly pathogens.
Dr Vora says we need to act now to protect forests and avoid the possibility of epidemic, or even a pandemic.
Dr Neil Vora started his career at the US Centres For Diseases Control and Prevention. He is now Executive Director at the Preventing Pandemics at the Source Coalition.
00:00 Introduction
01:17 Growing up with smallpox and the movie Outbreak
02:51 What does a disease detective do?
04:22 What are zoonotic diseases?
05:58 Why is Ebola so feared?
07:10 What it's like working in an Ebola outbreak
09:59 How climate change affects zoonotic diseases
11:47 The link between deforestation and disease
13:59 Generalist animals and biodiversity loss
15:40 Wildlife trade and the spread of disease
17:40 Protecting tropical forests to prevent spillovers
18:46 How reliable is the climate-disease data?
20:01 Which regions are most at risk?
21:32 Disease X and the next pandemic
22:54 A message of hope: lessons from smallpox
Watch more episodes from The Climate Question here 👉 • youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4dlFahw2svjb6-aW_BVOn4x
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#BBCWorldService #WorldService #pandemic #disease #climatechange #ebola #epidemic #health #drcongo
Scientists are warning that climate change and deforestation increase the risks of outbreaks of deadly diseases such as Ebola. How big is the danger? And what action can we take?
Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 bbc.in/3VyyriM
Dr Neil Vora is a so-called “disease doctor” - an epidemiologist who has travelled the world to help trace the sources of outbreaks of Ebola, cow pox and rabies.
Dr Vora tells The Climate Question hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar about his specialism in zoonotic diseases, which are caused by infections passing from animals to humans.
He is worried that the combination of climate change and cutting down forests will lead to more human-animal contact, and that the higher stress levels experienced by animals such as bats and monkeys will make them more likely to pass on deadly pathogens.
Dr Vora says we need to act now to protect forests and avoid the possibility of epidemic, or even a pandemic.
Dr Neil Vora started his career at the US Centres For Diseases Control and Prevention. He is now Executive Director at the Preventing Pandemics at the Source Coalition.
00:00 Introduction
01:17 Growing up with smallpox and the movie Outbreak
02:51 What does a disease detective do?
04:22 What are zoonotic diseases?
05:58 Why is Ebola so feared?
07:10 What it's like working in an Ebola outbreak
09:59 How climate change affects zoonotic diseases
11:47 The link between deforestation and disease
13:59 Generalist animals and biodiversity loss
15:40 Wildlife trade and the spread of disease
17:40 Protecting tropical forests to prevent spillovers
18:46 How reliable is the climate-disease data?
20:01 Which regions are most at risk?
21:32 Disease X and the next pandemic
22:54 A message of hope: lessons from smallpox
Watch more episodes from The Climate Question here 👉 • youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4dlFahw2svjb6-aW_BVOn4x
----------------
This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel.
If you like what we do, you can also find us here:
Instagram 👉🏽 instagram.com/bbcworldservice
Twitter 👉🏽 twitter.com/bbcworldservice
Facebook 👉🏽 facebook.com/bbcworldservice
BBC World Service website 👉🏽 bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
#BBCWorldService #WorldService #pandemic #disease #climatechange #ebola #epidemic #health #drcongo
