Surveillance of emerging animal diseases

Through current examples, such as Ebola, H5N8 avian influenza and African swine fever, but also lesser known diseases that may present a risk of emergence in humans, such as Usutu and Middle East respiratory syndrome, this press kit underlines the need to simultaneously consider human, animal and environmental health, within a “One Health ” approach.

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has served as a reminder that 75 % of emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals. The viruses and bacteria that affect animals can therefore have direct impacts on human health. And when animal epidemics do not directly impact human health, the loss of livestock, income or protein intake can reduce the quality of life for people who depend on livestock farming activities. Finally, antibiotic resistance – the development of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, mainly due to the misuse of antibiotics in livestock farming and aquaculture – is a silent but underestimated threat.

This press kit provides a panorama of the major animal health issues, their consequences for human populations, and possible courses of action within an integrated approach to health . In the final part, experts from CIRAD answer some of the most frequently asked cross-cutting questions.

Highlighting the clear linkages between animal health and human activities, and the interactions between livestock production, environmental management and epidemic risk, the press kit concludes by stressing the need to change our perception of the living world and to rethink our agricultural and food production systems.