LONDON — The number of disease outbreaks that have passed from animals to humans has jumped by more than 60% in Africa in the past decade, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday, a worrying trend that raises fears that the planet will face other diseases of animal origin in the future, such as Ebola, monkeypox and the coronavirus.
There was a 63% increase in the number of animal diseases that jumped to humans between 2012 and 2022, compared to the previous decade, the UN health agency said in a statement.
A particular jump was measured between 2019 and 2020, when diseases of animal origin passed to humans accounted for half of the public health crises in Africa, specified the WHO. Illnesses like Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers were responsible for 70% of these outbreaks, in addition to illnesses like monkeypox, dengue fever, anthrax and plague.
“We must act now to stem zoonoses before they cause widespread infections and to prevent Africa from becoming a hotspot for emerging animal diseases,” the WHO Africa director said in a statement. Dr Matshidiso Moeti.
While animal-borne diseases have infected humans in Africa for centuries, recent developments — such as rapid movement across the continent — are making it easier for viruses to cross borders, she added.
The WHO also pointed out that Africa has the fastest population growth, which accentuates urbanization and reduces the space available to wild animals. Experts also fear that outbreaks that would previously have been confined to remote rural areas could now spread to major African cities connected to the rest of the planet, which could allow diseases to spread across the world.
During the Ebola virus outbreak that affected West Africa beginning in 2014, it was only when the disease reached the capitals that the spread exploded, ultimately claiming more than 10,000 lives and reaching many European and American cities.
Before May, monkeypox had been responsible for large outbreaks only in central and western Africa, where it had been infecting people for decades. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now has 11,000 cases in 65 countries, the majority where the disease has never been seen before.
The WHO has announced a meeting next week to determine whether monkeypox is a global emergency.
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