Deforestation, changing land use and climate change is putting humans into increasing contact with new viruses. Zoonotic diseases – diseases which can be transmitted between humans and animal species – comprise the majority of new and existing diseases which affect human populations.
Most researchers believe that KFD was endemic for centuries in the forests of the Western Ghats in India, circulating silently among primate, bird and rodent populations, and the ticks they carry. But as forest land was fragmented by human activity, and changing rainfall patterns affected tick development cycles, the delicate balance of disease cycles was disrupted – triggering new outbreaks.