There are some diseases that humans get from animals. These diseases are called Zoonoses. World Zoonoses Day is observed every year on July 6. It was on July 6, 1885, that French biologist Louis Pasteur created a vaccine against rabies. There is a long list of animals that can cause rabies: bats, foxes, dogs, coyotes, and raccoons.

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World Zoonoses Day is observed to raise awareness about zoonotic diseases. A 2020 report on zoonotic diseases following the COVID-19 pandemic suggested that zoonotic diseases could turn into the next pandemic. The report was a joint effort by the United Nations and International Livestock Research. The report pointed to several preventive measures to guard against zoonotic diseases.

What causes zoonotic diseases?

A zoonotic disease is an infection that can be transmitted to people from vertebrate animals. Animals’ eating habits are such that they can cause harmful germs to enter their system. These harmful germs can be deadly for humans. These transmissible diseases can be caught by humans through direct contact with animals, water, food, or animal bites. Zoonotic diseases can run in different pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. These pathogens can cause several types of zoonotic diseases.

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Some zoonotic diseases can be mild while some can be fatal. The 2020 UN report noted that 80% of zoonosis pathogens are ‘’multi-host’’. A multi-host pathogen can spread amongst different animals as well as humans. Multi-host zoonoses not only spread faster but also pose more threats to humans as most of them are severe. 

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Ebola is one of the deadliest known multi-host diseases of the 21st century. The World Health Organization introduced the ‘one health’ program on World Zoonoses Day in 2021. This one health program gives governments a designed approach to stop the flow of zoonoses diseases. Vaccination programs in the USA have seen a significant curb in the spread rate during the last decade however such campaigns need to be generated with consistency to produce a long-lasting effect.