Zoonotic Disease Surveillance and Response: Is There a Duty to Intervene when a Disease is Detected?

Abstract

Purpose: There are currently 7.8 billion humans on Earth; as the human population continues to grow, so does our encroachment into previously wild spaces. When the distance between humans and animals decreases, zoonotic diseases (ZDs) spill over from animal to human populations. These diseases exact an enormous toll on human life and global markets. One strategy to combat ZDs is surveillance. The WHO, NIH, FAO, CDC, and other organizations have devoted billions of dollars and man-hours to the surveillance of ZDs. These programs employ a four-pronged approach: disease tracking, analysis, risk assessment, and response. To date, response efforts receive an insignificant amount of support because most potential ZDs do not represent an acute threat to human populations. Furthermore, few scholars have addressed the importance of response programs and those who do advance anthropocentric arguments that fail to acknowledge humanity's collective responsibility to wild animal populations. In this presentation, I advance two arguments – epistemic value and benefit to wildlife - on the importance of responding to potential ZDs detected in animals. Methods & Materials: Analysis of the epistemic importance of ZD responses, which are informed by the principles of One Health, shows that responding to ZDs before spill over benefits human populations.Arguments informed by the study of animal rights and environmental stewardship illustrate that humans are responsible for the animals they displace. Results: Anthropocentric arguments illustrate that studying ZDs in wild animal populations increases knowledge of disease dynamics. Furthermore, data from animal-based pharmaceutical or population-level interventions translates to human populations in the event of a spill over. Arguments informed by the study of animal rights and environmental stewardship illustrate that humans are responsible for the animals they displace. The displacement of animal populations is directly linked to outbreaks of zoonotic disease; thus, humans must treat any pathogenic infection discovered during surveillance. Conclusion: Responding to ZD outbreaks is not for the benefit of humans, but for the benefit of animals that were made ill due to human actions - there is a duty to care for animals that are both directly and indirectly harmed by human driven habitat loss.