We need to examine how intensive animal agriculture and low animal welfare standards have resulted in threats to human health, safety and wellbeing. But wildlife diseases can and do afflict domestic animals, and cross species to humans. Clearly abstinence from hunting, poaching and wildlife products would have made no difference at all in the case of the Nipah virus. Intensive animal farming is usually characterised by high animal population density and low genetic diversity, both of which are factors that promote increased pathogen transmission and adaptation. The risk of zoonotic diseases must be managed through improvement in farm animal welfare standards, disease management and control measures.

Source: New Strait Times February 03, 2020 16:07 UTC