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UN:
VIRUSES FROM TROPICAL COUNTRIES ARE MOVING TO TEMPERATE ZONES, UN AGENCY
WARNS: 08/10/2007 (MaximsNews Network)
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UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network /
- 08 October 2007 -
Animal diseases are advancing globally and countries will have to invest
more in surveillance and control measures, the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today, citing West Nile Virus, Crimean Congo
Haemorrhagic Fever and other plagues that have crossed from tropical to
temperate zones.
“No
country can claim to be a safe haven with respect to animal diseases,” warned
FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech in a news release.
“Transboundary
animal diseases that were originally confined to tropical countries are on the
rise around the globe. They do not spare temperate zones including Europe, the
United States and Australia,” he added.
Globalization,
the movement of people and goods, tourism, urbanization and probably also
climate change are favouring the spread of animal viruses around the planet, FAO
noted.
“The
increased mobility of viruses and their carriers is a new threat that countries
and the international community should take seriously. Early detection of
viruses together with surveillance and control measures are needed as effective
defence measures,” Mr. Domenech said, calling for strong political support and
funding for animal health and more adequate veterinary services.
The
agency raised concern about the spread of the non-contagious bluetongue virus,
which affects cattle, goats, deer and sheep. First discovered in South Africa,
it has spread to many countries for reasons that remain unclear, FAO said.
“We
never expected that the bluetongue virus could affect European countries at such
high latitudes,” said FAO Animal Health Officer Stephane de la Rocque. “The
virus is already endemic in Corsica and Sardinia but could also persist in
northern European countries.”
Other
examples of human and animal disease agents that were previously mainly found in
tropical regions and that have spread internationally include: West Nile Virus,
transmitted by mosquitos, carried by birds and sometimes affecting also humans;
Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that spreads through the bite of infected
sand flies; and tick-borne Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, FAO said.
African
swine fever has recently reached Georgia and Armenia and poses a threat to
neighbouring countries, it noted.
Mosquitos
that can transmit major human diseases such as yellow fever, dengue and
chickunguya have already reached European countries and may constitute a major
public health concern.
Labels: United
Nations, U.N.,
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