World Health Day 2023: With animal-to-human diseases on rise, should we fear another pandemic?

Today, 7 April 2023, marks World Health Day. 75 years ago, the World Health Organization was also founded on the same day in 1948.Though it is a chance to reflect on public health achievements over the past decades, it is equally important to address current and upcoming health concerns. One is the rampant rise of animal-to-human diseases.

What are animal-to-human diseases?

Animal-to-human diseases, also known as zoonotic diseases, are illnesses caused by pathogens that are transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans. There are multiple ways in which pathogens can be transmitted from animals and humans.

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What are the common ways of transmissions?

For instance, one of the ways by which these diseases which are caused by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi can be transmitted from infected animals is through direct contact.

But there are other ways too such as the transmission of pathogens through the consumption of contaminated food or water or through vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes, spiders or mites. Some of the animal-to-human diseases include Rabies, Salmonella, Lyme disease, and Ebola amoung others.

COVID-19 and viruses which are not directly transmitted

One of the most fitting examples in view of the pandemic would be animal-to-human diseases such as COVID-19. Covid is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As per a report by World Health Organization, the SARSCoV-2 virus most probably "has its ecological reservoir in bats."

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However, since there is usually very limited close contact between humans and bats, it is more likely that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans happened through an intermediate host, that is another animal species more likely to be handled by humans.

"This intermediate animal host could be a domestic animal, a wild animal, or a domesticated wild animal and, as of yet, has not been identified," as per WHO.

Should we fear another pandemic?

All of this triggers fears of new pandemics. Well, they are not unfounded. History has shown us that new infectious diseases can emerge at any time and spread rapidly across the globe. There are other ways too which can propel the transmission of these diseases.

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More ways of transmission

With the increasing ease and frequency of international travel, diseases can quickly spread from one part of the world to another. The risk of disease transmission also increases due to overcrowding, poor sanitation, and limited access to healthcare.

Another way of transmission could be climate change which can lead to the emergence and spread of new diseases. In fact, a study published by the scientific journal Nature warned in 2022 warned that climate change will make animals flee their ecosystems and seek for more livable lands. There has also been an emergence of medicine-resistant bacteria which can be difficult to treat and can spread rapidly.

Boost in international travel, industrial farming, trade in wild animals and deforestation also increases the risk of potentially transmitting the pathogens from animals to humans.

Exposure to wildlife can lead to new diseases in humans as many of these infectious diseases are zoonotic. All of the viruses that caused significant influenza pandemicseither directly or indirectly originated from birds. Zoonoses first arose thousands of years ago, but within the last 20 or 30 years, they have become more prevalent.

What are the preventive measures?

However, there are preventive measures available to prepare for new pandemics. Revamping public health infrastructure and investing in research into emerging infectious diseases could be significant ways. This can also include developing vaccines and other medical countermeasures. Promoting public health messaging for good hygiene and following infection control practices are also good ways to tackle the emerging challenges.

"Without preventative strategies, pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, kill more people, and affect the global economy with more devastating impact than ever before," the UN Biodiversity Expert Group warned in October 2020.

The WorldOrganisation for Animal Health estimates that zoonotic infections account for 60% of allinfectious diseases that affect humans. Salmonellosis is one that affects the digestive system. Others, including avian andswineflu, impact the respiratory system.

Rabies, on the other hand, affects the nervoussystem. The virulence of the pathogen and the disease itself, as well as the sick individual, who may be particularly sensitive to the infection, all have a significant role in how severe these diseases are in people.

Among birds and other mammals, there are an estimated 1.7 million undiscovered viruses, with 540,000 to 850,000 of them having the potential to infect people, according to estimations published in the journal Science in 2018. The likelihood that viruses capable of infecting people would "find" their host is, however, most significantly raised by the spread of human activities and greater interactions with wildlife.

Call for equity in times of health crisis

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General called for equity in the face of emerging health challenges. “The history of WHO demonstrates what is possible when nations come together for a common purpose,” he said.

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