Heath Concerns for Species Jumping Disease (ZOONOSES) in Policy Responses

1Hirde VN, and 2 Suradkar U

Dept. of Veterinary Public Health & 2 Dept. of Livestock Products Technology, Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, Jaipur- 302031

Abstract :

Zoonoses are on increase. India has topped a list of countries worst affected by zoonotic diseases. The first of its kind global study mapping human and animal diseases has pointed out unlucky 13 zoonoses that are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year. Globally 60% of all human diseases and 75% of all emerging infectious diseases have been found to be zoonotic. The most of these infections are acquired from worlds 24 billion livestock. 2.5 billion People live on less than US $ 200 per day. Nearly three quarters of the rural poor and one third of urban poor depend on live stock for their food, income, traction, manure or other services. Livestock provide poor households up to half of their income and between 6 to 35 per cent of their protein consumption. The loss of a single milking animal can be devastating to such households. Demand for meat and milk products is growing and will continue to grow in coming decades due to rising population, incomes, urbanization and changing dietary habits in growing economies. Greater access to global and regional meat markets could move millions out of poverty line if they can effectively participate in meeting the rising demand. Zoonoses present major obstacle in their efforts. Studies that one in eight livestock in poor countries are affected by Brucellosis; this reduces milk and meat production in cattle around 8 per cent. Developing worlds booming livestock markets represent a pathway out of poverty. The presence of zoonotic diseases can perpetuate rather than reduce poverty and hunger in livestock keeping communities. One study found 99% correlation between country levels of protein, energy malnutrition and the burden of zoonoses. One third of global diarrhoeal diseases are due to zoonotic causes. 27% of livestock in developing countries showed signs of current or past infection with food borne diseases. Zoonoses can academically be classified as endemic zoonoses such as Brucellosis which cause the vast majority of illness and death; Epidemic zoonoses which typically occur as out breaks viz Anthrax & Rift valley fever and relatively rare “Emerging Zoonoses”, such as Bird flu which spread because of global cataclysms. Animal farming is also intensifying more rapidly than other farm commodity sectors, with more animals being raised in more concentrated spaces which raise the spread of disease. Livestock density is associated with disease “Event Emergence” than overall disease burdens. High level of disease emergence but low number of people falling sick and dying from zoonotic diseases. Bovine tuberculosis is 7% in poor countries reducing production by 6%. Most infected cattle have Bovine tuberculosis but both human & bovine form can infect cows and people. Increased rain fall, flooding & other climate changes have increased risk of zoonoses particularly those diseases transmitted by insects or associated with stagnant water or flooding. India has highest