Diabetes, cancer and even arthritis. Humans are to blame, and our four-legged friends (and beyond) are the ones who pay.
Animals – domestic or not – are increasingly developing chronic human diseases, such as diabetes, cancer or arthritis. We finally begin to understand why – and humans are largely responsible.
A new one published this Tuesday in the magazine Risk Analysis presents a new conceptual framework aimed at improving the way scientists monitor and manage chronic diseases in animals.
The new research investigates ecological disruption as one of the main forces behind the spread of disease. According to the authors, Human activities such as urbanization, deforestation and climate change intensify the exposure of animals to harmful conditions.
It is known that ocean pollution, for example, causes health problems in marine animals. But the thermal stress and urban pollution They are also contributing to obesity, diabetes and immune system disorders in companion animals, birds and other mammals.
“As environmental changes accelerate the emergence of diseases, the absence of early diagnosis systems further delays the detection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in animals“, says scientist Antonia Mataragka to .
“While organizations such as the World Health Organization provide extensive data on NCD mortality in humans, similar detailed statistics for animals are scarce. This indicates the need for more comprehensive investigation and reinforced surveillance in veterinary health, to better understand and face these problems”, he further states.
