Zoonotic diseases that we live with and that put us at risk

Bird flu, a disease transmitted from birds to humans, is in the spotlightPEXELS

In recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of certain zoonoses – infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans. They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or non-traditional agents and are transmitted to humans through direct contact or through foodwater or environment.

Today is July 6th World Zoonoses Day in memory of the French chemist Louis Pasteur, on the day he first vaccinated a child against rabies, saving his life.

Zoonoses are the culprits behind major pandemics

Covid-19 or plague They are a great example. shockproof zoonotic diseases, leaving their mark on humanity. Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus was discovered in late 2019, about 6.95 million people have died to date, according to WHO estimates. Or the Black Death, one of the most devastating pandemics, which killed between 75 and 200 million people in the 14th century.

They are a public health problem worldwide due to the close relationship we have with animals, both in our daily lives with pets and in agricultural or natural environments.

10 other diseases that mutated from animals to humans:

He is a large percentage of all infectious diseases recently identified, as well as many of the already existing ones. Some of them, besides Covid or the plague, are:

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Causes and Control

Among the possible causes, globalization ranks first. The exponential growth of international traffic in both goods and people has made it easier for infectious diseases to spread and emergencies to occur.

Prevention methods for zoonotic diseases vary for each pathogen; however, some methods are considered effective in reducing risk at the community and individual level:

antimicrobial resistance This is a factor that complicates the control and prevention of zoonoses. The use of antibiotics in food animals is widespread and increases the likelihood of the emergence of drug-resistant strains of zoonotic pathogens that can spread rapidly in animal and human populations.

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