Rising trend of viruses jumping from animal hosts to humans

The world is seeing a rise in diseases caused by viruses that have jumped from animal hosts to the human population, with Covid-19 just one example, a group of experts said in a report released on Monday.

Ebola, MERS as well as West Nile and Rift Valley fevers were other examples of zoonotic diseases, which are driven by the degradation of our natural environment, the UN Environment Department (UNEP) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) said.

“While many in the world were surprised by Covid-19, those of us who work on animal disease were not. This was a highly predictable pandemic,” said Delia Randolph, ILRI veterinary epidemiologist and lead author of the report.

Randolph described a “very clear trend” since the 1930s that showed that 75% of emerging human diseases stemmed from wildlife.

COVID-19, for example, most likely originated in bats, according to UNEP and ILRI.

Exploitation of wildlife

Further outbreaks will emerge unless governments take active measures to prevent other zoonotic diseases from crossing into the human population, UNEP warned.

The report identifies seven trends driving the prevalence of zoonotic diseases.

They include increased demand for animal protein, a rise in intense and unsustainable farming, increased use and exploitation of wildlife and climate change.

“The science is clear that if we keep exploiting wildlife and destroying our ecosystems, then we can expect to see a steady stream of these diseases jumping from animals to humans in the years ahead,” said UNEP executive director Inger Andersen.