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When assessing threat, know your sharks from your mosquitoes

Sharks in the ocean
Photo: Getty Images

The success of a threat assessment depends on the criteria you use.

Imagine a life-threatening animal. What came to mind? A shark, lion, bear, or snake? Are any of those animals nearby!? If we add all the human deaths each year from those animals, it pales into statistical insignificance against mosquito deaths (2-3 million per annum) or pandemics following animal-to-human transmission.

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