A recent study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Institute of Zoology (UK) and the Hanoi School of Public Health in Vietnam maps 20 hotspots for animal-human diseases (zoonoses) worldwide. Many impoverished countries including Nigeria, Tanzania,and India made the list, but what was surprising was the mention of Western Europe and the Northeastern United States. These countries may be the home to “emerging zoonoses”—diseases that have been newly discovered, recently have become drug resistant, or are newly virulent to humans. The report states that countries with high densities of livestock, common in these locations, are more at risk to develop new zoonoses.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) believes that developing reporting and surveillance systems for these diseases could help manage their growth. “It is for the global public good to have a worldwide reporting network that extends into remote areas,” states Bernard Vallet, the director-general of OIE. “The cost of late detection rises exponentially, but it is not a priority for donors.”
Author: Corrie Purvis
Corrie Purvis is a guest writer for the Healthy Travel Blog. She is currently a rising sophomore at Virginia Tech where she is majoring in both communication and international studies. Post-graduation, she hopes to work and live abroad while pursuing a career involving writing.
