Journal Sentinel Publishes First 2016–17 O’Brien Report
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently published the first installment of Mark Johnson’s 2016–17 O’Brien Fellowship project. The article, Animal to man, fear of the next pandemic: Orangutan’s mysterious death points to threat of diseases that jump to humans, is part of his “Outbreak” series.
Johnson writes: “The similarities between humans and other primates are well-known. It is the reason monkeys have long been used in medical tests as proxies for humans. It’s also the reason the zoo regularly consults with doctors at Froedtert Hospital on health problems involving its great apes.
But the close biological relationship between the two species takes another form as well. Lethal diseases, including Ebola and HIV, have jumped from apes to humans. Others, such as influenza and polio, have gone the opposite route, passing from humans to apes.”
Read more from Johnson’s recently published O’Brien report.
