World Zoonoses Day 2021: What is zoonosis? Its significance during pandemic times

Every year on July 6, World Zoonoses Day is observed to commemorate the first vaccination administered against a zoonotic disease like Avian influenza, West Nile virus, and Ebola. French Biologist Louis Pasteur on July 6, 1885, had administered the first vaccine against rabies, a zoonotic disease.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that is believed to be originated from bats and transmitted to humans, World Zoonoses Day holds significance in educating and raising awareness about zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

What are Zoonotic diseases?

• Zoonotic diseases, also known as Zoonoses are infectious diseases that are caused by germs that can jump from animals to humans. These zoonotic germs can be bacterial, parasitic, or viral or even unconventional agents that can spread to direct or non-direct contact between animals and humans.

• Zoonoses comprise a huge percentage of identified infectious diseases such as HIV, Ebola, rabies, COVID-19, etc.

How do Zoonotic diseases spread?

• Due to the close contact between animals and humans, the common ways that zoonotic germs spread can be:

(i) Direct contact: This can be through blood, saliva, urine, feces, bites, scratches, or other bodily fluids of an infected animal.

(ii) Indirect contact: This can be through areas where the infected animals reside or roam. These areas have been contaminated with zoonotic germs.

(iii) Vector-borne: This can be through a bite by a tick, or insects carrying the infection from the source.

(iv) Foodborne: This can be consuming contaminated food such as milk, meat, eggs, raw fruits, vegetables that have come from the infected animals.

Zoonoses Day: History

• Zoonoses Day came has been observed since French Biologist Louis Pasteur on July 6, 1885, had administered the first vaccine against rabies, a zoonotic disease.

• Since then, Zoonoses Day is celebrated every year to commemorate his work and raising awareness against zoonotic diseases.

Zoonoses Day 2021: Theme and Significance during COVID-19

• The theme of Zoonoses Day 2021 is ‘Let’s break the chain of Zoonotic transmission’.

• On July 6, 2020, a report titled “preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission” was launched on World Zoonoses Day when the world was engulfed with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• In the wake of COVID-19, the report outlined ten principles for governments across the world to follow to prevent future zoonotic diseases outbreaks.

• The ten principles as outlined by the report:

(i) Investment in interdisciplinary approaches, including One Health,

(ii) Expansion of scientific inquiries into zoonotic diseases,

(iii) Enhancing cost-benefit analyses of interventions,

(iv) Promoting awareness about zoonotic diseases,

(v) Strengthening regulation practices and monitoring regarding zoonotic diseases,

(vi) Developing alternatives for livelihoods and food security and incentivizing sustainable land management practices,

(vii) Identifying key drivers of emerging zoonotic diseases in animal husbandry, and enhancing biosecurity,

(viii) Enhancing sustainable co-existence of wildlife and agriculture to support the sustainable management of seascapes and landscapes,

(ix) Reinforcing capacities among health stakeholders across all countries,

(x) Operationalization of the One Health