Published on: July 12, 2022

WORLD ZOONOSIS DAY

WORLD ZOONOSIS DAY

Why in news?

World Zoonosis Day is observed annually on July 6 to commemorate the first immunisation against a zoonotic illness

Highlights:

  • Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) organised a nationwide free vaccination camp against zoonotic diseases on account of World Zoonosis Day 2022.

What are zoonotic diseases?

  • Diseases that transmit from animals to human beings are called zoonotic diseases and the day is observed annually on July 6 to commemorate the first immunisation against a zoonotic illness.

India, a potential hotspot for zoonotic diseases

  • A recent report from the State of the World’s Forests 2022 predicts India as a potential hotspot for zoonotic viral diseases. About 70% of all emerging diseases such as rabies, swine flu, nipah, brucellosis, leptospirosis, porcine cysticercosis and zika that affect humans are zoonotic in nature.
  • Zoonotic diseases such as rabies have imperilled human health since antiquity. Dogs are the source of most human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans, and every year it causes 18,000 to 20,000 deaths.