01-04 Zoonotic - John Bulloch

Something like 60% of all diseases are spread from animals to humans and are referred to as zoonotic diseases. Rabies, anthrax and influenza are the most common diseases from animals. And from mosquitoes we are most familiar with Malaria, Dengue, West Nile and Lyme diseases. And our warming climate increases the threat.

Anyone living in the country is familiar with racoons. It usually means buying a garbage can with a lid that is racoon-proof.
In my early cottage days, I was confronted by a racoon that was skinny, shaky and having difficulty walking. I dropped a garbage can over it and called for help. It was shot and examined for diseases. And what a shock to hear it carried rabies, something transferrable to humans.
Something like 60% of all diseases are transferred from animals to humans. These zoonotic diseases can vary from rabies to anthrax to simple influenza. In the country the most common carriers are mosquitoes, racoons, bats and foxes.
Having a son that died of AIDS, it was always of interest to hear that this disease was originally transferred to humans from apes. Same story for SARS and Ebola.
The bad news is that our warming climate increases the life cycle of various carriers like mosquitoes, tics and sandflies. So anticipate diseases carried by these insects moving north.
Did you know that you can catch flu from your pet and your pet can catch the same virus from you?
The lesson, as our climate warms, is to anticipate diseases showing up farther north, and new diseases spread by the typical villains, rodents and mosquitoes.
But even the common cow, pig and horse can be carriers. It’s a new world of climate change and disease.
And diseases that come from exotic wild animals can be the basis for a new pandemic. We are all living in a world of surprises. Climate change is quirky.