Zoonotic disease

Zoonotic disease

Subject: Science and Tech

Context: A quarter of mammal species in wildlife trade host 75 per cent of zoonotic diseases that can spread from animals to humans, according to a recently published study.

Concept:

• According to the research, found Rodents and bats, primates and even-toed ungulates such as deer (often poached for their meat) and carnivores, alone host 58 per cent of the known zoonotic viruses present in the wildlife trade.
• The researchers surveyed the association of 226 viruses responsible for zoonotic diseases with more than 800 mammal species distinguished into three categories: traded, non-traded, and domesticated mammals. analysis suggests that risk from those species that are traded is higher than those that are not traded
• The ongoing deforestation, land-use change and habitat fragmentation could result in direct contact and disease transmission between humans and the species listed in their study.

Surveillance sites

• The National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing has proposed the establishment of surveillance sites to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases.
• Such sites could also be used for pathogen surveillance in confiscated wildlife specimens.