Why zoonotic diseases are fast spreading to humans

Infectious diseases that were once confined to animals in forests are now attacking human beings, at a faster pace

Fruit bats source of Nipah virus, confirm ICMR scientists

Scientists from the Indian Council of Medicl Research reportedly confirmed the source of Nipah virus to be fruit bats

Changing animal behaviour in different terrain can impact spread of diseases: Study

Pathogens like novel tuberculosis could exploit forms of communication among banded mongooses to spread

Global warming: Africa, Asia most at risk of zoonotic spillovers

There can be 15,000 instances of viruses jumping from one species to another over the next 50 years

Mammals in wildlife trade host 75% of known zoonotic viruses

The researchers surveyed the association of 226 viruses responsible for zoonotic diseases with more than 800 mammal species 

Mizoram swine flu outbreak: humans at risk of infection

The swine flu and PRRS outbreak, which killed over 2,900 pigs in Mizoram since March, could mean an increased risk of transmission of swine …

Scientists create map showing bat-human viral transmission

The highest risk hotspots for zoonotic bat viruses are West Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia

Preempting pandemics: Viral discovery is not enough to stop another contagion; here is why

Despite hundreds of novel coronaviruses being sampled, the COVID-19 pandemic grew over an order of magnitude beyond its 2003 SARS counterpart

COVID-19 third wave: The world is still dangerously unprepared

World enters an endless loop of disease outbreaks and remains dangerously unprepared for such crises even in third year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Study finds pathogens in wild snow leopards

Conducted in Mongolia, the research detected pathogens which, though they did not cause illness to the leopards, could make other wild cats ill; …

Emerging cross-species infections are killing lions and humans

Infectious agents causing life-threatening diseases are spreading to new hosts, and human actions, ranging from dairy farming to tourism, are …

Zoonotic diseases: interview with Sarman Singh of AIIMS

A zoonotic disease is a disease that can be spread from animals to humans. Scientists estimate that more than six out of every 10 infectious …

Environment ministry issues advisory to import live exotic animals 

Document fails to address issues such as invasive species and zoonotic disease, experts say

Understanding zoonotic diseases: Here’s a video primer

While the origins of COVID-19 are still unknown, epidemics like SARS and MERS happened after transfer of pathogens from animals to …

A model to predict diseases that transfer from animals to humans

The study tested the model with Lassa fever, a disease endemic to western Africa and is caused by the Lassa virus which passes on to people …

‘COVID-19 could have started 3-4 months before December in China’

Down To Earth speaks to Maureen Miller, infectious disease epidemiologist and medical anthropologist about the possible origins of the novel …

Outbreak of infectious diseases linked to change in forest cover, finds study

Outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases linked to deforestation increased between 1990 and 2016

A flesh-eating parasite carried by dogs is making its way to North America

A ‘One Health’ approach, requiring the collaboration of human, animal, and environmental health partners, is key to preventing …

Bats dying of heat stroke: Experts fear mass population collapse, zoonotic diseases

Live bats don’t cause harm as they’re immune to viruses, but their carcass coming in contact with domestic animals may increase …

Ebola re-emerges in the Democratic Republic of Congo

36 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo less than two weeks after the WHO declared an end to the outbreak

State of the World’s Forests 2022: 10% of total forest area on Earth lost in 30 years

It stated that annual global consumption of natural resources is likely to increase to 190 billion tonnes in 2060 from 92 billion tonnes in 2017

Africa witnesses 63% increase in number of zoonotic outbreaks in a decade

Zoonotic diseases accounted for half of the public health events in Africa in 2019, 2020

As COVID-19 pandemic enters 3rd year, what do we know about its origin?

More than 2.8 billion cases and 5.4 million deaths later, the mystery remains unsolved — even as we were warned about it  

Sustainable peatland management can prevent future pandemics: Study

Peatlands harbour a variety of disease-spreading hosts; flora and fauna in them are also being harvested, increasing contact with humans

Illegal pig import may be behind African swine fever outbreak in Manipur, say officials

Strict containment measures have been enforced in affected areas in the absence of a vaccine or treatment