Emerging Infectious Diseases

Global hotspots and correlates of emerging zoonotic diseases

Animals carry harmful germs like viruses, bacterial, parasites, and fungi that can sometimes spread to people and cause diseases. These are called as zoonotic diseases or zoonoses. The disease caused by these germs can cause variety of infections, ranging from mild symptoms to serious illnesses and sometimes even death. A healthy looking animal also carries germs that make a person sick, depending on the zoonotic disease. Zoonotic infections can be transmitted from domestic, agricultural, or wild animals to people through any point of contact. Due to the vast number of new or unreported infections known to occur in some wild animal populations, markets selling wild animal meat or by-products are particularly vulnerable. Agricultural workers in locations where antibiotics are widely used for farm animals may be at greater risk of infections resistant to currently available antibiotics. Animals such as rats, foxes, and raccoons can infect people who live in wilderness regions or in semi-urban areas with a high concentration of wild animals. By increasing contact between humans and wild animals, urbanisation and the degradation of natural habitats raise the danger of zoonotic illnesses.