Emerging wildlife diseases – impact on trade, human health and the environment

Abstract

Emerging wildlife diseases can occur anywhere in the world and the consequences can be severe. The recent epidemics of SARS, West Nile virus and avian influenza demonstrate the global importance of emerging pathogens and the important role of wildlife in initiating or maintaining such diseases. These recent epidemics and many other diseases have also highlighted the importance of creating new and more effective partnerships between government departments, animal industries and the community. It is important that a country has a system that is able to detect and identify emerging pathogens or diseases, rapidly analyse the situation, and, if necessary, disseminate the information and prompt a control response.