Risks From Animal Diseases Growing
Diseases Spread by Animals Affect Millions of People a Year, Study Shows
Growing Threat continued...
In the study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, the researchers analyzed the number of deaths and illnesses worldwide caused by diseases spread by animals from 2000 to 2005.
The results showed one of the most widely publicized emerging zoonotic diseases, H5N1 bird flu, killed nearly half of the 145 people infected with the virus during the study period.
Though most of the attention has focused on the potential for human-to-human transmission of the bird flu virus, researchers say the risk posed by diseases currently spread from animals to humans is also great. Many have no known vaccine or cure.
Preventive Effort Needed
To prevent emerging zoonotic diseases from becoming major public health threats, Heeney calls for greater cooperation between health and medical experts from various fields.
"The early identification, control, and prevention of re-emerging viral zoonotics lie not only with clinicians and public health experts but, more importantly, with veterinarians, animal scientists and wildlife ecologists," he says.
"They are in the best position to identify trends and patterns, such as increases in the number of deaths of wild or domestic animals. Awareness and surveillance of eco systems will play a key role in identifying and controlling new, emerging, and re-emerging viral zoonotics," Heeney says.