FAO Report Warns Zoonosis Becoming More Common; MERS Can Infect Camels, Research Shows
“About 70 percent of new diseases infecting humans in recent decades have come from animals, the United Nations food agency … reported [Monday], warning that it is getting easier for diseases to jump species and spread as the population, agriculture and food-supply chains grow,” the U.N. News Centre reports. According to the report (.pdf) from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), titled “World Livestock 2013: Changing Disease Landscapes,” “a new, more holistic approach to managing disease threats is needed,” the news service writes (12/16). In related news, “[s]cientists have proved for the first time that the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus that has killed 71 people can also infect camels, strengthening suspicions the animals may be a source of the human outbreak,” Reuters reports, noting, “Camels are used in the region for meat, milk, transport and racing” (Kelland, 12/16).
The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.