The next pandemic could spring from the US meat supply, new report finds

The next global pandemic could come from the United States.

That’s the sobering message of a report from Harvard Law School and New York University, examining how humans, livestock and wild animals interact here.

Many familiar ‒ and terrifying diseases ‒ originated in animals, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika, pandemic flu and COVID-19. Some started in other countries, typically on the African or Asian continents. These so-called zoonotic diseases are often blamed on poor hygiene, lack of government oversight, or unsafe practices in those places.