News
Introduction
Coordinator:
Zhibin Zhang
Steering Committee:
* early career scientists, ‡ women
Fields of research:
Duration:
The project comes from a new initiative. In 2021 the IUBS Executive Committee established the Working Group on Zoonotic Diseases.
Questions addressed by the project
- To promote integrative studies on zoonotic diseases among scientists of different disciplines.
- To educate young scientists and students joining in the field of zoonotic diseases.
- To provide advices or knowledge to governments and the public for disease prevention and control.
- To employ landscape approach to monitor interactions among domestic animals, wildlife, and human beings.
- To develop standards of detecting, prevention or control of zoonotic diseases.
Background
Historically, zoonotic diseases such as plague, rabies, influenza have caused huge damage to the public health around the world. In the modern era of the new century, we are facing more challenge of zoonotic diseases. During the past two decades, we have experienced two pandemics (H1N1, 2009; COVID-19, 2019-2020) and several epidemics such as SARS (2002-2003), MERS (2012), Zika (2007, 2013-2014), Ebola (2014) and plague (2017). Many other zoonotic diseases such as Lyme, Hanta fever, Dengue have irrupted frequently in many countries or regions. Dealing with future zoonotic disease outbreaks demands scientific collaborative research on a host of disciplines. It is needed to establish an international network to bringing scientists and experts from all over the world.
Objectives
1.Organizing workshops of zoonotic diseases
Dealing with zoonotic disease outbreaks demands scientific collaborative research on a host of disciplines, like zoology, veterinary, microbiology et al. In the next 3 years, we plan to hold one or two workshops per year, to increase the international collaboration in the field of zoonotic diseases.
- Publishing special issues on Integrative Zoology
To increase the international communication in the field of zoonotic diseases, Integrative Zoology will publish one or two special issues in the next 3 years.
- Employ landscape approach to monitor interactions among domestic animals, wildlife and human beings
Because of the climate changes and modern traffics in the world, the spreading styles the zoonotic diseases are different from the traditional ways. Scientists will communicate via the workshops, seminars and other ways supplied by the programme, sketching the interactions among domestic animals, wildlife and human beings via landscape approaches. This is a basic work for the prevention or control of zoonotic diseases.
- Discussing standards of detecting, prevention or control of zoonotic diseases
In some special workshops, scientists from different countries will discuss the standards of detecting, prevention or control for one or some zoonotic diseases in human beings, domestic animals, and wildlife. The standards confirmed after discussion will be recommended to governments and the public.
- Developing metrics to define the risk (low/medium/high)of zoonosis in a time period or zone
It is important to predict the risk of one or more zoonotic diseases in a zone and/or time period among wildlife, domestic animals, and human beings. In the workshops and seminars, scientists from different countries will discuss and try to develop models to approach this task.
- Finishing annual report
We will publish an annual report on world zoonotic diseases for scientists, governments and the public.
Partners
IUBS Members involved: International Society of Zoological Sciences (ISZS), China Association of Science and Technology (CAST)
Events
Reports
Explore the range of initiatives and projects undertaken by the Zoonotic Diseases Coordination Network programme, as documented in their annual reports,
Report 2023
Report 2024
Publications
Access the latest findings and insights generated by the Zoonotic Diseases Coordination Network programme through their publications
Publications 2023
Publications 2024