ATLANTA — A new study from the University of Georgia points to socioeconomic factors, including poverty and poor access to healthcare could help fuel the next pandemic.

UGA researcher Payton Phillips says the study analyzed hundreds of bacterial diseases such as T-B and plague and it was different for viral diseases.

“It was more of a environmental thing,” Phillips said. “Factors like ticks or mosquito abundance. Those outbreaks ended up getting bigger because of the same socioeconomic factors.”

Phillips says the study highlights the importance of identifying factors that could not only spark an outbreak, but also spread it.