July 6 was designated as World Zoonosis Day to commemorate the anniversary of the first rabies vaccine applied by Louis Pasteur in 1885 to a 9-year-old boy infected after a dog bite. Thanks to vaccination, the child managed to survive, marking a milestone in the prevention of zoonotic diseases.

Zoonoses are infectious diseases that are transmitted naturally from animals to humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), they account for more than 60% of known human diseases and cause 2.4 billion cases of disease and 2.2 million deaths each year, mainly in vulnerable regions. In addition, approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases have animal origins, such as COVID-19, Ebola or avian influenza. Among the factors that favor its expansion are globalization, climate change, loss of biodiversity, agricultural intensification and increased contact between wild animals and humans. The WHO warns that the degradation of ecosystems increases the probability of the emergence of pathogens with pandemic potential. It also highlights the importance of the One Health approach as a strategy to protect global health through collaboration between the fields of animal health, public health and environmental conservation.

Zoonoses can be transmitted by direct contact with animals, by consumption of contaminated food , or through vectors such as mosquitoes or ticks. Some of the best known are rabies, toxoplasmosis, salmonellosis or Lyme disease.

The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge works to protect and restore biodiversity, whose health is key to preventing the appearance of new zoonoses. It also works to raise awareness of the need to maintain healthy ecosystems, for example through the preparation of the didactic dossier “Biodiversity and zoonoses“, aimed at students from 5th grade onwards, which explains the relationship between biodiversity and human health, the causes of the increase in zoonoses and the importance of conserving healthy ecosystems as a barrier against new diseases. This material contributes to generating awareness and active citizenship to promote habits and changes towards sustainability and the prevention of future health crises.