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NEW DELHI: India has topped a list of countries worst affected by diseases originating from animals (zoonotic).
The first-of-its-kind global study mapping human-animal diseases has pin pointed an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses that are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year.
India is among the top geographical hotspots for such diseases, with 75% of recently identified emerging infectious diseases affecting humans being that of animal origin.
Globally, 60% of all human diseases and 75% of all emerging infectious diseases have been found to be zoonotic.
The study, conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Institute of Zoology (UK), said most of these human infections were acquired from the world's 24-billion livestock.
The 13 zoonoses were identified as most important, based on analysis of 1,000 surveys covering more than 10 million people, six million animals and 6,000 food or environment samples.
The study said, 27% of livestock in developing countries like India showed signs of current or past infection with bacterial food-borne disease a source of food contamination and widespread illness.
At least one-third of global diarrheal diseases are because of zoonotic causes. Additionally, 80% of pathogens with a high potential for bio-terrorism are zoonotic.
"From cyst-causing tapeworms to avian flu, zoonoses present a major threat to human and animal health," said Delia Grace, a veterinary epidemiologist with ILRI in Kenya and the study's lead author. "Targeting the diseases in the hardest hit countries is crucial to protecting global health as well as to reducing severe levels of poverty and illness among the world's one billion poor livestock keepers. Exploding global demand for livestock products is likely to fuel the spread of a wide range of human-animal infectious diseases," Grace added.
The study has ranked India at the top, followed by Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania, which have the highest zoonotic disease burdens with widespread illness and death.
Some of the key findings of the study published on Thursday said 12% of animals have recent or current infections with brucellosis, reducing production by 8%, 7% of livestock are currently infected with tuberculosis (TB), reducing their production by 6% and from 3%-10% of human TB cases may be caused by zoonotic TB. Around 17% of pigs show signs of current infection with cysticercosis creating the enormous burden of human cysticercosis, while 27% of livestock have shown signs of current or past infection with bacterial food-borne disease.
Around 26% of livestock show signs of current infection with leptospirosis acting as a reservoir for human infection, while 25% of livestock show signs of infection with Q fever and are a major source of infection of farmers and consumers.
The study found a 99% correlation between country levels of protein-energy malnutrition and the burden of zoonoses. India also has the worst protein-energy malnutrition.
"Many poor livestock keepers are not even meeting their own protein and energy needs. Too often, animal diseases, including zoonotic diseases, confound their greatest efforts to escape poverty and hunger," the study said. Among the high-priority zoonoses studied were endemic zoonoses such as brucellosis, which cause the vast majority of illness and death in poor countries, epidemic zoonoses that typically occur as outbreaks, such as anthrax and Rift Valley fever and the relatively rare emerging zoonoses such as bird flu.
India, the study predicted, will see the most rapid changes in pig and poultry farming with more animals being to be raised in concentrated spaces, raising the risk of spread of disease.
India worst-hit by ailments originating from animals - The Times of India
The first-of-its-kind global study mapping human-animal diseases has pin pointed an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses that are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year.
India is among the top geographical hotspots for such diseases, with 75% of recently identified emerging infectious diseases affecting humans being that of animal origin.
Globally, 60% of all human diseases and 75% of all emerging infectious diseases have been found to be zoonotic.
The study, conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Institute of Zoology (UK), said most of these human infections were acquired from the world's 24-billion livestock.
The 13 zoonoses were identified as most important, based on analysis of 1,000 surveys covering more than 10 million people, six million animals and 6,000 food or environment samples.
The study said, 27% of livestock in developing countries like India showed signs of current or past infection with bacterial food-borne disease a source of food contamination and widespread illness.
At least one-third of global diarrheal diseases are because of zoonotic causes. Additionally, 80% of pathogens with a high potential for bio-terrorism are zoonotic.
"From cyst-causing tapeworms to avian flu, zoonoses present a major threat to human and animal health," said Delia Grace, a veterinary epidemiologist with ILRI in Kenya and the study's lead author. "Targeting the diseases in the hardest hit countries is crucial to protecting global health as well as to reducing severe levels of poverty and illness among the world's one billion poor livestock keepers. Exploding global demand for livestock products is likely to fuel the spread of a wide range of human-animal infectious diseases," Grace added.
The study has ranked India at the top, followed by Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania, which have the highest zoonotic disease burdens with widespread illness and death.
Some of the key findings of the study published on Thursday said 12% of animals have recent or current infections with brucellosis, reducing production by 8%, 7% of livestock are currently infected with tuberculosis (TB), reducing their production by 6% and from 3%-10% of human TB cases may be caused by zoonotic TB. Around 17% of pigs show signs of current infection with cysticercosis creating the enormous burden of human cysticercosis, while 27% of livestock have shown signs of current or past infection with bacterial food-borne disease.
Around 26% of livestock show signs of current infection with leptospirosis acting as a reservoir for human infection, while 25% of livestock show signs of infection with Q fever and are a major source of infection of farmers and consumers.
The study found a 99% correlation between country levels of protein-energy malnutrition and the burden of zoonoses. India also has the worst protein-energy malnutrition.
"Many poor livestock keepers are not even meeting their own protein and energy needs. Too often, animal diseases, including zoonotic diseases, confound their greatest efforts to escape poverty and hunger," the study said. Among the high-priority zoonoses studied were endemic zoonoses such as brucellosis, which cause the vast majority of illness and death in poor countries, epidemic zoonoses that typically occur as outbreaks, such as anthrax and Rift Valley fever and the relatively rare emerging zoonoses such as bird flu.
India, the study predicted, will see the most rapid changes in pig and poultry farming with more animals being to be raised in concentrated spaces, raising the risk of spread of disease.
India worst-hit by ailments originating from animals - The Times of India
