Emerging zoonotic diseases and COVID-19 pandemic: global Perspective and Indian Scenario

Abstract

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is one example of the scores of zoonotic diseases responsible for various outbreaks resulting in the deaths of millions of people for centuries. The COVID-19 pandemic has broken the age-old healthcare infrastructure and led to utter chaos. In the shadow of this pandemic, other zoonotic infections like the nipah virus, monkeypox, and langya virus, to name a few, have been neglected. Hence, outbreaks caused by such zoonotic viruses are rising in their endemic areas, like the Indian subcontinent. The mortality and morbidity due to such zoonoses are greater than usual due to the shortage of healthcare professionals caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Due to the lack of vaccines and therapeutics directed against this viral infection, treatment of patients is limited to supportive management and prevention, making preparedness for these potential zoonotic viral outbreaks essential. This paper highlights some of these zoonotic infections, which perpetuated and wreaked havoc while the world was occupied with containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; langya Virus; monkeypox; nipah virus; zoonotic diseases.

Figure 1

Modes of the spread of emerging zoonotic diseases. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Figure 2

One Health - Coordination, communication, collaboration at the local, national, and global level to achieve the best outcomes for people, animals, plants, and the environment.