For those keeping count, 2022 hasn't been a great year for animal virus outbreaks into human populations. A new study has suggested that the Omicron variant may have had a reservoir in mice. Also, there are warnings that the East Coast floods may see a rise in people infected with the Japanese encephalitis virus, and parts of Uganda are locked down to prevent an Ebola outbreak from spreading into cities and across borders. So what's going on and how can we make sense of it all?