In the last ten years, the number of cases of animal diseases transmitted to humans, such as monkeypox, has increased by 63% compared to the previous decade.
We must now act to prevent Africa from becoming the epicenter of emerging infectious diseases, the World Health Organization said at an online news conference this week.
At least 75% of emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens of animal origin. Viral hemorrhagic fevers, like the Ebola viral disease, account for about 70% of these epidemics. The remaining 30% are viruses such as monkeypox and dengue fever.
For Karim Tounkara, representative for Africa of the World Organization for Animal Health, this situation is explained by the fact that people have invaded the spaces reserved for wild animals. “Human activity has destroyed ecosystems and barriers between animals and humans, favoring the spread of zoonoses,” he explains. “These figures prove that diseases erode borders and barriers between species.”
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