Public Health Experts Say The Wuhan Coronavirus Is Just One Of Many Epidemics Yet To Come

A coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed at least 170 people and infected more than 7,000.

According to Business Insider, coronaviruses are zoonotic diseases, meaning they jump from animals to humans.

But experts say epidemics such as these are likely to continue, for a number of reasons.

Infectious diseases will continue to emerge and re-emerge.

We're in an age of epidemics because of globalization, because of encroachment on wild environments.

Eric Toner Senior scientist, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security The wildlife trade in Asia, Africa, and the US is partially responsible for the current epidemic.

In the case of Wuhan, the coronavirus may have jumped from bats to snakes in the wild, then from snakes to people a wet market.

The suspected market has since been shuttered, and Wuhan banned the sale of live animals.