Anthropogenic drivers of recent ebola and hantavirus outbreaks: A one health perspective

Recent outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and hantavirus infection have redrawn attention to the role of anthropogenic environmental change in the emergence of zoonotic diseases. Human activities, including deforestation, agricultural expansion, land-use modification and ecosystem degradation, have increasingly disrupted the interactions between wildlife reservoirs, domestic animals and humans, creating favourable conditions for pathogen spillover. In this commentary, we examine evidence linking these environmental drivers to the emergence and transmission of Ebola virus and hantaviruses, with particular emphasis on the effects of habitat alteration on wildlife ecology, viral evolution and host-pathogen interactions. We further discuss predictive models suggesting that, under current environmental and socioeconomic trajectories, the geographical risk of EVD will continue to expand. These observations underscore the urgent need to move beyond reactive outbreak response towards prevention by addressing the environmental determinants of disease emergence. We argue that the One Health framework, integrating human, animal and environmental health through coordinated multisectoral action, provides the most appropriate strategy for reducing the risk of future zoonotic outbreaks and strengthening global health security.