World Zoonoses Day 2021: Let’s Break the Chain of Zoonotic Transmission

World Zoonoses Day is observed on July 6 every year. According to Infection Control Today, World Zoonoses Day is held every year to commemorate the first vaccination against a zoonotic disease that was successfully administered by Louis Pasteur, a French biologist, on July 6, 1885.

The theme of World Zoonoses Day 2021

This year’s theme of World Zoonoses Day is: “Let’s Break the Chain of Zoonotic Transmission.”

Importance of the day

The day is also marked to raise awareness about the risk of zoonotic diseases like Ebola, Avian influenza, and the West Nile virus. The day emphasizes microbes that pose a threat to human and animal health. Here, is all you need to know about Zoonotic diseases:

What are Zoonotic diseases?

Zoonotic tuberculosis (TB) is a form of TB that is often transmitted from infected animals, mostly cattle, to humans. This form of TB can also spread through the consumption of infected animals.

Major Causes

Zoonotic illnesses are caused by germs like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. The illnesses can appear both in animals and humans. Scientists say that even healthy-looking animals carrying harmful germs can infect human beings.

How it is spread from animals to humans?

• As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 75% of new diseases come from animals.
• Zoonoses can spread from direct contact with animals or indirectly or in the form of vector-borne (through fleas, mosquitoes, ticks, among others), food-borne or water-borne infections. A common way for these diseases to spread is through the bite of a mosquito or tick.

Most common Zoonotic diseases:

• Plague
• Tuberculosis
• Cat Scratch Fever
• Tick Paralysis
• Hantavirus
• Ringworm
• Salmonellosis
• Leptospirosis
• Lyme disease
• Campylobacter infection
• Giardia infection
• Cryptosporidium infection
• Roundworms
• Hookworms
• Scabies
• Harvest mites
• Rabies

How to Prevent it

• There are several precautionary measures that humans can take to avoid contracting zoonotic diseases, like properly washing hands with soap and water. Other methods include wearing protective clothing and spraying repellant to prevent bites from fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks. It is also important to store and handle food safely and to avoid bites and scratches from animals.
• It is important to follow the various safety measures, as people are at risk of contracting serious illness from zoonotic disease, especially children below five years of age and adults over 65.