Skip to main content

How do viruses jump from animals to humans? - Ben Longdon

1,552,385 Views

35,479 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

At a Maryland country fair in 2017, farmers reported feverish hogs with inflamed eyes and running snouts. While farmers worried about the pigs, the department of health was concerned about a group of sick fairgoers. Soon, 40 of these attendees would be diagnosed with swine flu. How can pathogens from one species infect another, and what makes this jump so dangerous? Ben Longdon explains.

What factors affect the likelihood of a pathogen successfully jumping to a new host?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Ben Longdon
  • Director Natália Faria
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Producer Felipe Grosso, Odirlei Seixas, Liana Vianna
  • Compositor Natália Faria
  • Editor Natália Faria
  • Art Director Natália Faria, Rui Almeida
  • Senior Animator Natália Faria
  • Storyboard Artist Natália Faria, Rui Almeida
  • Animator Rui Almeida, Luke Passos, Allan Dantas, Isaac Santos, Larissa Menézio, Rafael Almeida
  • Illustrator Rui Almeida
  • Character Designer Rui Almeida
  • Sound Designer Matheus Wittmann
  • Composer Matheus Wittmann
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

More from Getting Under Our Skin