Where Could Ebola Strike Next? Scientists Hunt Virus In Asia January 02, 2015

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO  by Michaeleen Doucleff              Jan. 2, 2015

...Scientists think bats likely triggered the entire Ebola epidemic in West Africa....

So now the big question is: Where else in the world is Ebola hiding out in bats? Where could the next big outbreak occur?

Ecologists found signs of Ebola in a Rousettus leschenaultii fruit bat. These bats are widespread across south Asia, from India to China. Kevin Olival/EcoHealth Alliance

.. ecologist Kevin Olival at EcoHealth Alliance in New York City... hunts down another virus in bats, called Nipah. In humans, it causes inflammation in the brain and comas....

Nipah has outbreaks every few years in Bangladesh. So Olival went there back in 2010 and captured a bunch of bats. Many had signs of Nipah in their blood. Others had something surprising: "There's antibodies to something related to Ebola Zaire."

...The bats with these antibodies have a broad range across south Asia, Olival says. "These species are found all the way down into parts of Indonesia."

The data suggest that Ebola Zaire is far more widespread around the world than previously thought.

Read complete story.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2015/01/02/371994171/where-could-ebola-strike-next-scientists-virus-hunt-in-asia