Many zoonotic diseases are emerging as a result of environmental factors, including climate change, deforestation, alterations of wildlife habitat, and other land use change; human population growth; movement of human beings and animals across borders. Disasters due to climate change affecting Livestock and Poultry Sector include floods, cyclone, disease epidemics, drought, tsunami, tornado, heat wave and lightening in which state level response is needed. Impact of disaster due to climate change are high on the weaker sections of the community. Climate change can also result in Zoonotic diseases of food borne origin. Mycotoxins in animal feed is another concern of climate change. Mycotoxins can cause cancer, lower immunity and production as well.
- Potential risks to animal health from climate change would arise from increased exposures to thermal extremes (cardiovascular and respiratory mortality) and from increases in weather disasters like floods, drought etc (including deaths due to drought, disease outbreaks such as Anthrax and injuries associated with floods).
- Damage to the environment due to climate change, is modifying population of vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes etc resulting in more incidences of diseases such as trypanosomiasis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis etc. Increased temperature favours growth of vector.
- Changes in temperature, precipitation, and seasonality can influence infectious disease emergence, incidence, and spread (e.g Haemorhagic septicaemia, Anthrax, trypanosomiasis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis). These environmental changes can affect pathogen reproduction, abundance, environmental tolerance, virulence, and distributions.
- Livestock productivity is directly correlated with their surrounding environment. Climate change impacts agricultural production because climate is one of the key factors of production, providing essential inputs (water, solar radiation, and temperature) needed for plant and animal growth.
- Outbreaks of diseases such as Foot & Mouth Disease or Avian Influenza affect very large numbers of animals and contribute to further degradation of the environment and surrounding communities’ health and livelihood.
