STUDY ON ZOONOTIC DISEASE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – HEALTH)

Context: Recently, a comprehensive analysis of 60 years of historical epidemiological data published in the journal BMJ Global Health revealed that four types of zoonotic infections, which can transmit from animals to humans, have been increasing at an exponential rate.

• These are the four zoonotic diseases: Filoviruses (Ebola virus, Marburg virus), SARS Coronavirus, Nipah virus, and Machupo virus.

Key Points 

• Based on current trends, these four types of viral pathogens are collectively set to kill 12 times as many people in 2050 as they did in 2020.
• The researchers focused on these diseases, which causes Bolivian haemorrhagic fever, because of their potential to pose a significant risk to public health and economic or political stability.
• As part of the study, at least 3150 outbreaks and epidemics were assessed between 1963 and 2019 to analyse time trends in the number of outbreaks and associated deaths caused by these viral pathogens.

Zoonotic Diseases

• About: It is a disease that has passed into the human population from an animal source directly or through an intermediary species.
• Zoonotic infections: It can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in nature, with animals playing a vital role in maintaining such infections.
• Examples: HIV-AIDS, Ebola, Lyme disease, malaria, rabies, West Nile fever, and the current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disease.