The World Health Organization warns that intercontinental travel, increased urbanization, and the reduction of wildlife habitats have made it easier for viruses to cross borders.
According to the most recent data from the World Health Organization, animal-to-human disease transmission rates in Africa have increased by 63 percent over the past decade.
The increase in transmissions between 2012 and 2022 could lead to an increase in animal-borne diseases such as Ebola, monkeypox, and COVID, which are “likely” to have originated from a bat, according to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) last year.
Between 2019 and 2020, diseases that originated in animals before spreading to humans accounted for fifty percent of all significant public health incidents in Africa.
Diseases such as Ebola and other infectious illnesses, as well as conditions such as monkeypox, anthrax, and plague, were responsible for approximately 70% of these occurrences, according to a statement issued by the WHO on Thursday.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, director of WHO Africa, stated that we must act immediately to contain zoonotic diseases, which occur when pathogens such as viruses spread from animals to humans before they cause “widespread infections.”
She urged world leaders to prevent Africa from becoming a breeding ground for new infectious diseases.
Dr. Moeti warned that international travel has made it easier for viruses to spread across borders.
Population growth in Africa is the fastest in the world, resulting in increased urbanization and less space for wildlife to roam.
Scientists fear that once-contained outbreaks in remote rural areas may now spread more rapidly to large African cities with international travel links, resulting in the global spread of disease.
Wildlife organizations and academics have previously warned that the widespread destruction of natural habitats raises the likelihood of future pandemics.
Dr. Mike Barrett, executive director of science and conservation at the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), warned deforestation increases the risk of zoonotic disease transmission by bringing humans closer to animals.
“We have created the ideal petri dish for the spread of pathogens,” he said.
The conversion of more and more habitat to produce agricultural commodities for international supply chains is at the heart of this issue.
As we deplete Amazonian forests, we increase the likelihood of the next pandemic.
In the meantime, cat owners with COVID or who have displayed symptoms were cautioned against cuddling their pets last year after scientists discovered that humans can infect animals.
Two separate cases of human-to-cat transmission of the virus were discovered during a University of Glasgow screening of the feline population of the United Kingdom.
