World Zoonoses Day: Learning from the mistakes of the past and preparing for a healthy future | The Weather Channel – Articles de The Weather Channel

The world observes July 6 as Zoonoses Day to commemorate the successful administration of the first rabies vaccine by Louis Pasteur in 1885. As COVID-19 continues to disrupt our daily lives after 18 months of widespread suffering and sadness, the day takes on a primordial importance because it offers an opportunity to reflect on the broken relationship between man and nature.

Lessons from COVID-19

Until recently, experts believed the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic were linked to the Huanan market in Wuhan, China. Studies have suggested that the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 may have jumped pangolins or bats on humans, making it a zoonotic disease. However, recent evidence shows that the early strains may already have possessed greater adaptability to human infection, suggesting much earlier transmission than previously thought.

These new developments do not negate the possibility that COVID-19 has a zoonotic origin, but they make current theories around its origin inconclusive. In any case, it should be noted that how we interact with non-human life is a critical determinant of the health of humans as well as that of other species and their habitats.

Estimates suggest that two-thirds of new emerging pathogens are of zoonotic origin. An increased crossing of the boundaries between humans and animals would be the main driver. Research suggests that human interventions lead to the destabilization of ecological balances and the increasing degradation of the environment are the main causes of this pathogenic diversification and the emergence of new diseases.

Densely populated countries and countries with higher incomes and intensive development projects often experience a higher incidence of zoonotic diseases. Predictions indicate that many of these infectious agents are dormant in humans and animals, awaiting clinical detection or possible epidemics.

Response to an epidemic

The abuse of animals in husbandry and husbandry, the wildlife trade and other pernicious interactions between humans and animals have often been considered sources of multiple zoonoses. Most often, such spread leads to widespread killing of the animal concerned, instead of ethical practices for epidemic control. In recent times we have seen people cutting down trees to destroy living bat habitats as they were believed to be the source of the coronavirus pandemic. Similar extermination attempts on poultry and pigs have been observed after the spread of bird flu and swine flu, respectively.

In May of this year, the United Nations launched an expert group to advise four international organizations: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE); the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP); and the World Health Organization (WHO). The expert group bases its suggestions on potential epidemics on the “One Health” approach, which recognizes the links between humans, animals and the environment, and aims for the well-being of all. Their current radar includes designing a long-term global plan to prevent further outbreaks of avian influenza H5N1, MERS, Ebola, Zika, and possibly COVID-19.

The Center for Disease Control, a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services, is also actively accumulating resources and educating different countries about emerging zoonotic diseases through podcasts, workshops and prioritization reports. Legal policies on wildlife trade are being improved to minimize the risks that handlers will contract unknown pathogens in the process. The scientific community, through simulation and modeling studies, analyzes the trends associated with these diseases.

While facing the most widespread pandemic in human history, the world is gradually preparing to fight what comes next. World Zoonoses Day is here to remind us once again that our actions have consequences, and therefore, the health of ecosystems is as crucial as the health of humans or any species.

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