A major international report has raised alarm over the growing threat of zoonotic diseases, as global outbreaks of bird flu in mammals more than doubled in 2024. The findings, released by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), highlight the growing risk of animal diseases crossing into human populations—a concern particularly relevant to the Gulf region, where trade, climate, and animal health are closely linked.
According to WOAH’s first-ever Global Animal Health Report, 1,022 mammalian outbreaks of avian influenza were recorded in 2024 across 55 countries, compared to 459 the previous year. Even more concerning, nearly 47% of all animal disease events now have the potential to infect humans.
🌡️ Climate, Trade and Vaccine Shortfalls Driving Disease Spread
WOAH attributes the sharp increase in cross-species infections to climate change, global livestock trade, and a 5% drop in animal vaccination coverage between 2020 and 2022. These factors are creating ideal conditions for viruses like H5N1 bird flu to evolve and spread beyond their traditional hosts.
“Infectious animal diseases are no longer isolated events—they are part of a broader health challenge affecting agriculture, ecosystems, and human health,” said Emmanuelle Soubeyran, WOAH’s Director General.
“This report is a call for greater international collaboration and fair access to vaccines and disease control solutions.”
🦠 MERS Makes a Return in Saudi Arabia
Closer to home, the report comes amid renewed concern over Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), with nine new cases reported in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Two of the patients died, and eight had no known contact with camels, which traditionally act as the reservoir for the virus.
Since it was first identified in the Kingdom in 2012, MERS-CoV has caused 2,627 confirmed infections and 946 deaths globally—a fatality rate of over 35%. While there are no confirmed human cases outside the region this year, experts fear untracked transmission routes may exist.
🐾 Bird Flu Leaps to Mammals—Raising Human Health Concerns
Bird flu, once largely confined to wild and domestic birds, is now infecting a broader range of mammalian species, including cattle, cats, dogs, foxes, seals, and even rodents. Over 630 million birds have been culled since outbreaks began in the early 2000s, but the virus continues to evolve.
Experts warn that each new mammalian infection increases the likelihood of mutations that could enable the virus to spread between humans, a scenario that would dramatically shift the global public health landscape.
🌍 Animal Diseases Expanding into New Territories
The WOAH report also tracked the re-emergence and spread of multiple diseases into previously unaffected regions:
- Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), once limited to parts of Africa and Asia, has reappeared in Europe.
- African Swine Fever reached Sri Lanka, traveling more than 1.8km beyond earlier containment zones.
- Bluetongue virus triggered 3,517 outbreaks in 23 countries, while Germany recorded its first case of foot-and-mouth disease since 1988.
- In the Americas, the New World screwworm—a flesh-eating parasitic fly—was detected in Mexico and Nicaragua.
💊 Antibiotic Misuse Poses Long-Term Threat
The report also sheds light on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which continues to undermine animal and human health. Though antibiotic use in animals has decreased in Europe, overuse remains prevalent globally. WOAH predicts AMR could threaten food security for up to two billion people by 2050.
“Vaccination and preventive care must replace the blanket use of antibiotics,” said Dr. Javier Yugueros-Marcos, head of WOAH’s AMR division.
“Indiscriminate antibiotic use accelerates resistance, endangering global health.”
🔍 One Health: A United Front Against Zoonotic Risks
WOAH is urging the adoption of a One Health approach—a holistic strategy integrating human, animal, and environmental health systems. Key recommendations include:
- Enhanced global surveillance networks
- Improved livestock vaccination programs
- Responsible antimicrobial use
- Coordinated data sharing between countries and agencies like WHO, FAO, and WOAH
With bird flu now affecting over 48 mammal species, and MERS continuing to pose a threat in the Gulf, The Gulf Talk urges regional policymakers and public health officials to take this global warning seriously.
The time for proactive measures is now—before the next pandemic begins not in the lab, but on the farm.
