Study lists Kerala as hot spot of wildlife zoonotic diseases

Thrissur: In a study published in reputed science journal Nature, Kerala and north-east of India have been listed as hot spots of zoonotic diseases. The places have been listed among places like China, Java, Bhutan, Eastern Nepal and North-east of India.

The places are listed in the study titled ‘Land-use change and the livestock revolution increase the risk of zoonotic coronavirus transmission from rhinolophid bats’ done by scientists from Italy, US and New Zealand. The areas were listed on the basis of a combination of factors that trigger outbreak of zoonotic diseases. The main factors pinpointed are depletion of forests, high population density of domestic animals, high population density of humans. The study was conducted in places were the presence of horse shoe bats are prominent carriers of SARS COVID viruses.

The zoonotic disease is mainly spread though mammals. Among them bats are more prone to become carriers of viruses. Thus in areas where humans and bats interact, the chances of outbreak are more. Meanwhile, according to Community Medicine Chief of Thiruvanthapuram Medical College Dr TS Anish, tropical climate, human expansion into forests of western ghats, reduction of fruits in forests attract bats to Kerala.