World Zoonoses Day was celebrated on July 6, 2024. World Zoonoses Day is celebrated in honour of Louis Pasteur, who administered the first successful rabies vaccine, a zoonotic disease, on July 6, 1885.
This day is dedicated to raising awareness about zoonoses—diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans—and promoting preventive and control measures.
Zoonoses
Zoonoses are infectious diseases that can transfer between animals and humans, such as rabies, anthrax, influenza (H1N1 and H5N1), Nipah, COVID-19, brucellosis, and tuberculosis.
These diseases are caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. However, not all animal diseases are zoonotic.
Non-zoonotic diseases: Many diseases affect livestock without posing a risk to human health. These non-zoonotic diseases are species-specific and cannot infect humans. Examples include Foot & Mouth Disease, PPR, Lumpy Skin Disease, Classical Swine Fever, and Ranikhet Disease.
Understanding which diseases are zoonotic is crucial for effective public health strategies and preventing unnecessary fear and stigmatization of animals.
Recently, African Swine Fever (ASF) was detected in Madakkatharan Panchayath, Thrissur district, Kerala. ASF was first reported in India in May 2020 in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Since then, the disease has spread to around 24 States/UTs in the country.
African Swine Fever is not zoonotic and cannot spread to humans. Currently, there are no vaccines for ASF.
To mitigate the risk of zoonotic diseases, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) has launched a nationwide campaign for Brucella vaccination of bovine calves under NADCP and undertaken Rabies Vaccination under ASCAD.
