Reuters, 2024
Author(s): Staff
In this groundbreaking science series, Reuters explored the origins and potential outbreak sites of bat-borne viruses.
The project used a pioneering statistical model and extensive on-the-ground reporting across six continents to map regions where conditions are conducive for bat-borne illnesses to leap into humans and potentially cause an epidemic. The team’s comprehensive approach combines ecological data with outbreak histories to identify high-risk areas spanning more than 3.4 million square miles, inhabited by 1.8 billion people. The model and reporting have helped predict more than two dozen confirmed outbreaks since 2020 in identified high-risk zones, including instances of Nipah and Marburg viruses.
More than 40 reporters contributed to the series, interviewing more than 100 scientists and other experts. The team reported stories in Liberia, Ghana, India, Laos, Bangladesh, Brazil and Australia. Reuters’ database contained about eight billion data points, including temperature, rainfall, tree loss and number of bat species in an area.
The series has gained international attention, influencing global health policy discussions and prompting calls for enhanced surveillance and prevention strategies.
Through immersive multimedia elements like animations, 3D maps and other graphics, Reuters illustrated how human encroachment into bat habitats exacerbates the risk of pandemics. It is a testament to how great reporting and multimedia delivery can make a story more accessible and interesting to readers.
Article by: Abbi Ross