The threat of Zika virus The zoonotic invasion

As of July 2021, the world population is 7.90 billion. This is a very big number, and the continuously increasing human population is certainly making deeper inroads into the land that supports much of flora and fauna.

- Sunil S Chiplunkar

This results in increased interactions between humans and animal world, which is also creating the exchange of microbial population between the two. This results in transfer of pathogenic microbes and toxins between the humans and animals. Adding to this microbial interaction is the worldwide movement of people and transportation of goods across borders. Thus, there is faster dissemination of pathogens and is causing spread of infectious disease across the globe. Infectious diseases coming in from the animal world to humans are called VBZD: vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. Some of these zoonotic diseases that originate from the animal world are carried by an intermediate vector or carrier like the mosquito to the human population.

The routes by which infectious diseases from animal world infect humans are:

• Direct contact: with blood, saliva and other fluids of the animals

• Indirect contact: when the person comes in contact with infected person or thing