Emerging zoonotic diseases are defined as zoonotic diseases caused by new agents or previously known agents appearing in places or species in which the disease was unknown. The increasing human population and our expansion into new areas is the main cause of the emergence of new diseases in animals. People are now living in places they have never lived while destroying the habitat of many different species. This increases the amount of contact we and our domestic pets have with wildlife. The increased amount of global travel of humans and animals also increases the transmission of diseases not seen before in our domestic animals. Several of the diseases in this website are due to the transmission of a disease from the natural wild host to the domestic dog or cat who can then transmit the disease to humans. The diseases included in this website are diseases veterinarians should keep in mind when examining patients in their hospital.
Below are eight different scenarios of typical ways in which veterinarians are exposed to these emerging zoonotic diseases. Click on a picture below to view the associated scenario or click the Choose Scenario At Random button or begin with scenario #1.
No fair peeking first!!