Emerging zoonotic viral diseases

• DOI: 10.20506/rst.33.2.2311
• Publication Date: 2016-03-10T10:12:29Z
• Authors: L.-F. WANG; G. CRAMERI
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Internationality; bats; bat; Biodiversity; Global Health; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Virus Diseases; Zoonoses; Chiroptera; Communicable Disease Control; Mammalia; Animals; Humans; Animalia; Chordata

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases that are naturally transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans and vice versa. They are caused by all types of pathogenic agents, including bacteria, parasites, fungi, viruses and prions. Although they have been recognised for many centuries, their impact on public health has increased in the last few decades due to a combination of the success in reducing the spread of human infectious diseases through vaccination and effective therapies and the emergence of novel zoonotic diseases. It is being increasingly recognised that a One Health approach at the human–animal–ecosystem interface is needed for effective investigation, prevention and control of any emerging zoonotic disease. Here, the authors will review the drivers for emergence, highlight some of the high-impact emerging zoonotic diseases of the last two decades and provide examples of novel One Health approaches for disease investigation, prevention and control. Although this review focuses on emerging zoonotic viral diseases, the authors consider that the discussions presented in this paper will be equally applicable to emerging zoonotic diseases of other pathogen types.