UN Predicts Rise In ‘Zoonotic’ Diseases From Animals To Humans Like COVID-19
Image via Shutterstock
A United Nations report foresees an increase in diseases passed from animals to humans, like COVID-19, due to environmental destruction.
These pathogens are known as zoonotic diseases, which jump from animals to humans. Zoonotic diseases include Ebola, MERS, HIV/AIDS, and the West Nile virus.
The UN Environment Program report, Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission, predicts that such diseases will increasingly emerge due to the stresses human have placed on animal habitats, like unsustainable farming practices and climate change.
“The science is clear that if we keep exploiting wildlife and destroying our ecosystems, then we can expect to see a steady stream of these diseases jumping from animals to humans in the years ahead,” UNEP executive director Inger Andersen said in the report.
Andersen also advised to invest in research of zoonotic diseases to get the world prepared and “ahead of the game… [in] preventing the type of global shutdown we’ve seen.”
Our #ZoonosesReport with @ILRI
— UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) July 6, 2020
🔴 Identifies 7 trends driving the increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases - including climate change & increased demand for meat.
🟢 Provides 10 recommendations to prevent future zoonotic outbreaks.
Learn more: https://t.co/IUTwtf1MlT#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/pJi9LU5HeC
[via Fast Company, cover image via Shutterstock]
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