Zoonoses attack: which animal diseases threaten humanity

Diseases transmitted from animals to humans are widespread throughout the world and in many cases cause serious health problems.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 60 percent of the world's existing infectious diseases have zoonotic origins.

Doctors and veterinary specialists are sounding the alarm: some zoonotic diseases are spreading at an alarming rate and pose a serious danger to humanity. Here are the most concerning ones:

Rabies – one of the deadliest zoonotic diseases. It is transmitted to humans primarily through bites from dogs, cats, bats, and wild animals. Important to know: treatment is only effective if started within the first hours after infection.

Toxoplasmosis – an insidious parasitic disease that is most often transmitted to humans from cats. It poses a particular threat to pregnant women. Raw meat and unwashed vegetables can also be sources of infection.

Salmonellosis – infection occurs through contact with raw chicken meat, eggs, and poultry. It manifests with pronounced symptoms of food poisoning – diarrhea, vomiting, high fever.

Brucellosis – transmitted to humans from cattle and small ruminants. Unpasteurized dairy products are the main culprits of infection. The disease is accompanied by prolonged fever, debilitating weakness, and excruciating joint pain.

Influenza viruses (swine flu, bird flu) – dangerous viruses capable of crossing the interspecies barrier from animals to humans and provoking global pandemics. A vivid example is H1N1 (swine flu), which swept the planet in 2009.

Leptospirosis – an insidious disease that spreads through water and soil, transmitted to humans from environments contaminated with rodent urine, predominantly rats. It is characterized by fever, excruciating headache, and intense muscle pain.

Specialists strongly recommend following a set of preventive measures to protect against zoonoses. These include: regular veterinary examinations of pets, timely vaccination, thorough heat treatment of dairy and meat products, and strict adherence to personal hygiene rules.

The Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies actively conduct educational activities in this area. Special vigilance is recommended for people engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, who are at increased risk.