Increased human-animal interface & emerging zoonotic diseases: An enigma requiring multi-sectoral efforts to address
Authors: Falguni Debnath, Debjit Chakraborty, Alok Kumar Deb, Malay Kumar Saha, Shanta Dutta
Year: 2021
Journal: Indian J Med Res
DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_2971_20
Summary
This paper discusses the threats posed by increased human-animal interfaces to human life due to the emergence of zoonotic diseases, using examples like SARS, influenza A/H1N1(09) pdm; MERS; Nipah virus disease; Ebola haemorrhagic fever and COVID-19. It emphasizes the need for multi-sectoral efforts, policy-level adaptation, wildlife protection, community empowerment, and regulation on wildlife products to ensure comprehensive one health practice.
Key Findings
- Over the last two decades, emergence of novel viral diseases has resulted in massive outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics causing profound losses.
- The current COVID-19 pandemic affects more than 200 countries, reporting a global case load of 167,878,000 with 2% mortality as on May 26, 2021.
- Rapid deforestation, shrinking of boundaries between human and animal, increasing demands for wildlife products and threat of extinction compounded by biodiversity narrowing compel to increased human-animal conflict and contact.
- Large quantities of animal waste generated due to animal agriculture may allow rapid selection, amplification, dissemination of zoonotic pathogens and facilitate zoonotic pathogen adaptation and hinder host evolution for resistance.
- Public health system faces challenges to contain such epidemics due to inadequate understanding, poor preparedness, lack of interdisciplinary approach in surveillance and control strategy and deficient political commitments.
Methodology
- Study Type: Review
Topics
Epidemiology, Clinical, Virology, Policy, Ecology
Relevance
This paper highlights the importance of reducing human-animal interfaces to prevent zoonoses and emphasizes the need for a comprehensive one health practice, which is particularly relevant for Nipah research.
Source
View the entire paper: File:IJMR-153-577.pdf