UN report outlines ways to curb growing spread of animal-to-human diseases
UN, 6 JULY 2020 - As the battle against COVID-19 rages, the world can expect to see other diseases that pass from animals to humans emerge, according to a new UN report launched on Monday.
In its report ‘Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission’, the report identifies seven trends driving the increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases, including a growing demand for animal protein, unsustainable farming practices and the global climate crisis.
The report explains, COVID-19 is only the latest in a growing number of disease – including Ebola, MERS and West Nile fever – whose spread from animal hosts into human populations has been intensified by anthropogenic pressures, or human impact on the environment. Excluding the spiraling cost of the coronavirus pandemic that has so far claimed more than 500,000 lives –every year some two million individuals, mostly in low- and middle-income countries, die from neglected zoonotic diseases.
While zoonotic diseases are on the rise worldwide,africa has the potential to leverage its experience to tackle future outbreaks through approaches that incorporate human, animal and environmental health, according to the report.
Welcoming the report, UN Secretary-general António Guterres called on Monday for a new ambitious framework to protect and sustainably use biodiversity to be adopted.
“To prevent future outbreaks, countries need to conserve wild habitats, promote sustainable agriculture, strengthen food safety standards, monitor and regulate food markets, invest in technology to identify risks, and curb the illegal trade in wildlife,” he said.