Recognizing World Zoonoses Day: How Protecting Animal Health Protects Human Health

Zoonosis may sound like an exotic word, but it describes a fairly common event. Zoonoses are diseases that can spread between animals and humans, and they are a prevalent part of the global public health landscape.

Scientists estimate that more than 60% of known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and approximately 75% of new and emerging infectious diseases originate in animals. As human populations grow, wildlife habitats shrink, and people, pets, livestock, and wildlife interact more frequently, it has become more important in preventing these diseases.

The good news is that many zoonotic diseases are preventable, and animal medicines are at the heart of that prevention. For World Zoonosis Day on July 6, let’s take a look at the relationship between animal health and human health through the lens of zoonoses.

The First Line of Defense Starts with Animals

Public discussions about infectious disease prevention often focus on human vaccines, treatments, and surveillance systems. While these tools are essential, stopping many zoonotic diseases before they reach people calls for first protecting animal health.

Vaccines, parasite preventives, and other veterinary medicines help reduce the spread of diseases among animals and lower the risk of transmission to humans. By preventing infections in pets, livestock, and wildlife populations, animal health professionals help create a critical barrier between pathogens and people.

This approach reflects the principles of One Health—the recognition that human health, animal health, and environmental health are deeply interconnected.

Rabies: A Prevention Success Story

Few diseases illustrate the power of animal medicines to stop zoonoses better than rabies.

Rabies remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world, causing nearly 59,000 human deaths each year, primarily in underserved regions of Asia and Africa. Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal.

Yet rabies is also one of the most preventable zoonotic diseases. Routine vaccination of dogs, cats  and other pets has dramatically reduced human rabies cases in many countries. In fact, vaccinating animals is considered the single most effective strategy for preventing human rabies deaths. Every vaccinated pet represents a break in the chain of transmission and a safer community for both animals and people.

Beyond Rabies: Preventing a Range of Zoonotic Threats

Veterinary medicines help protect animals from diseases and parasites that may directly infect humans or be carried by vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes. Preventive treatments reduce the likelihood that animals become reservoirs for disease and help limit opportunities for pathogens to spread.

Livestock health programs are particularly important. Healthy herds and flocks not only support food security but also reduce the risk of disease outbreaks that can affect farm workers, veterinarians, and surrounding communities.

As emerging diseases continue to challenge public health systems worldwide, maintaining strong animal health infrastructure becomes increasingly important.

A Shared Responsibility

Preventing zoonotic diseases requires collaboration among veterinarians, physicians, public health officials, farmers, pet owners, researchers, and policymakers. Surveillance, biosecurity, education, and rapid response all play important roles, but prevention often begins with a simple step: keeping animals healthy.

Whether it’s vaccinating a family dog against rabies, administering parasite preventives to pets, or ensuring livestock have access to appropriate veterinary care, animal medicines help stop diseases before they can move between species.

In this sense, some of the most effective public health tools are working behind the scenes—in veterinary clinics, on farms, and in communities around the world. Protecting animal health isn’t just about caring for animals. It’s about protecting people, too.