World Zoonoses Day: Most common Zoonotic infections that you must know

Every year the world celebrates Zoonoses Day on July 6. This particular day is the anniversary of Louis Pasteur who first administered a rabies vaccine to a human in the year 1885.

Statistics say that 60% of all the known infections in human beings are zoonotic in origin and around 70% of the infectious diseases originate in animals.

Corona is one such Zoonotic infection that is widely known now because of the devastating effect it has caused in the last few years.

On World Zoonoses Day, know about more common Zoonotic infections in India.

Rabies

It is one of the most known diseases across the world and is 100% fatal if not treated on time. That is the reason it has been feared for centuries.

First discovered in 1600, it is passed by the saliva or other bodily fluids of dogs through scratching or biting to humans. Efforts have been made to eradicate human rabies from dogs, and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control has also planned to implement a canine vaccination program.

Close interactions between humans, animals, and the environment allow pathogens to cross species barriers and cause outbreaks such as Avian Influenza, MERS and Zika Virus.#AnimalHealth #AnimalWealth #ZoonoticDiseases #WorldZoonosesDay pic.twitter.com/wmFkP9gw9r

— Dept of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Min of FAH&D (@Dept_of_AHD) July 5, 2023

Rift valley fever

First reported in 1930, the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) grabbed headlines when it became an epidemic in East Africa in 1997 infecting more than 90,000 people. The infection is caused by mosquitoes and hence is difficult to control because the eggs of mosquitoes have the capacity to survive for years together in the soil.

The infection is passed on to humans through the organs, tissue, or blood of infected live stocks that get the infection through mosquito bites. As of now, there is no vaccination available for RVF but vaccinating the livestock is an effective way to control this outbreak.

Anthrax

The disease is contracted by animals when they inhale or ingest spores present in contaminated water, soil, or plants. Then this disease is transmitted to humans through direct contact either via inhalation of spores or through ingesting contaminated water or food.

It can be kept in check through animal vaccination, however, continues to be the most common Zoonotic infection in the world.