Zoonotic Disease Connections Animal and Human Welfare

Zoonotic diseases - transmitted between animals and humans - emerge at the interface of animal welfare, ecological disruption, and public health, demonstrating that animal welfare and human health are deeply interconnected.

Key Facts

75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic in origin
Intensively farmed animals create conditions favouring pathogen amplification and spillover
Antibiotic resistance emerging from agricultural antibiotic use threatens both animal and human welfare
Live animal markets with mixed species create high-risk interfaces for novel pathogen emergence
Wildlife habitat destruction increases human-animal contact and zoonotic disease risk
Improving farm animal welfare conditions reduces the environmental conditions that favour pathogen emergence
One Health approaches integrate human, animal, and environmental health in disease prevention

Welfare Considerations

The connection between animal welfare and zoonotic disease risk is profound. Conditions that compromise animal welfare - intensive crowding, stress, poor hygiene, multispecies contact - also create the conditions in which dangerous pathogens emerge and spread. Improving animal welfare is, in this sense, also an investment in preventing the next pandemic.

What You Can Do

Support One Health approaches that integrate animal welfare in pandemic prevention strategies
Choose higher-welfare animal products that come from lower-density, better-managed systems
Advocate for live animal market reform and improved biosafety standards
Support wildlife habitat conservation as pandemic prevention
Engage with policy-makers on the connections between agricultural animal welfare and public health