Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic Diseases and How to Break the Chain of Transmission
2020
This report from the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Livestock Research Institute focuses on the root causes of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other zoonoses – diseases or infections transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans – while also providing policy makers with potential solutions to curb future zoonotic infectious disease outbreaks. The report examines the environmental side of zoonotic diseases, such as the roll of non-domestic and domestic animals in emerging infectious disease outbreaks, the increasing frequency of spillover of pathogens from animals to humans, as well as the ways human activities – like agriculture, urbanization, and travel – can impact infectious disease. For example, urbanization, when poorly planned and without proper infrastructure, increases the movement of people and human interactions with the environment. Diseases can also freely move across borders due to rapid human travel and trade, where people can go from one side of the globe to another during the incubation period of some infectious diseases. The authors identified 10 key messages for policy makers, ranging from de-risking food systems to expanding scientific inquiry into the environmental aspects of zoonotic infections, to provide a better understanding of these emerging infectious diseases and to encourage policy implementation to prevent future zoonotic disease outbreaks. This report also includes a summary video, a brief outlining the key messages of the report, and a fact sheet.
Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic Diseases and How to Break the Chain of Transmission
Source:
Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic Diseases and How to Break the Chain of Transmission. United Nations Environment Programme, International Livestock Research Institute 2020. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/preventing-future-zoonotic-disease-outbreaks-protecting-environment-animals-and.