No matter how you slice it, outbreaks are becoming more common. Overseas, there's been Ebola, Zika and yellow fever. And here at home, we're seeing a surge in tick-borne diseases, with Lyme leading the way. For the past month, NPR has been looking at why this is the case. Deforestation lets animal viruses jump into people. Factory farming amplifies the problem. And then international tourism spreads the new diseases around the globe. But throughout our series, there's been something else on people's minds. Listeners and readers sent in 250 questions about pandemics. One kept popping up: "If we believe that an unknown pandemic is overdue, what precautions are reasonable to take now?" asked Wade Schuette.

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