Zoonotic Disease Hotspots and Animal Welfare: Prevention and Co-Benefits

Most emerging infectious diseases originate in animals. Improving animal welfare in wildlife trade, farming, and interface zones reduces zoonotic spillover risk and delivers simultaneous welfare and public health benefits.

Key Facts

An estimated 75% of emerging infectious diseases have animal origins — bats, rodents, and primates are primary reservoirs
Live animal markets increase zoonotic spillover risk through crowding of multiple species with human workers
Intensive farming increases pathogen evolution pressure — influenza pandemics have repeatedly originated in intensively farmed poultry and pigs
Wildlife trade routes for exotic pets and bushmeat create novel pathways for pathogen spread across continents
Improving farm animal welfare — reducing crowding and stress-induced immunosuppression — also reduces pathogen amplification risk

Welfare Considerations

The links between animal welfare and zoonotic disease prevention are increasingly recognised as a public health opportunity. Crowded, stressed animals in live markets, intensive farms, and illegal wildlife trade create conditions that accelerate pathogen evolution and facilitate species-jumping infections. Interventions that improve animal welfare — reducing crowding, eliminating live wildlife markets, improving farm biosecurity, and combating illegal wildlife trade — simultaneously reduce zoonotic spillover risk. This creates a compelling public health case for animal welfare investment that extends far beyond the interests of the animals themselves. One Health frameworks increasingly integrate animal welfare into pandemic prevention strategies.

What You Can Do

Support elimination of live wildlife markets and improved regulation of exotic pet and bushmeat trade
Choose animal products from farms with higher welfare standards — reduced crowding benefits both animal and human health
Support One Health research programmes that integrate animal welfare into infectious disease prevention
Learn about the links between animal welfare, farming practices, and pandemic risk to understand the systemic connections