Animal disease outbreaks in this past year should serve as a stark warning to all Europeans. There is a growing threat to Europe – not only to animal welfare and the economy, but also potentially for public health – posed by these outbreaks, which are no longer rare, isolated events, but commonplace and of increasing concern.
We were lucky this time. In response to outbreaks of the bluetongue virus in 2024, the animal health sector swiftly developed and distributed vaccines to limit its impact on the European agriculture sector.
I don’t want to be all doom and gloom, but relying on luck is simply not a smart strategy. To protect ourselves from the next inevitable disease outbreak, we need a fundamental shift from a “firefighting” approach to a “fire prevention” approach. Otherwise, the consequences of a future outbreak could spiral beyond our control, dealing a serious blow to European agriculture, public health, and the wider economy.
Population growth, increased urbanisation, and contradicting animal health and trade policies are increasing the risks of disease outbreaks among animals, and their potential transmission to human beings. Changes in climate over time have also been exacerbating the problem, with rising temperatures and fluctuations in rainfall patterns affecting the incidence and spread of diseases across Europe.
A growing concern about zoonotic cases
In recent years, Europe has experienced a staggering 600 per cent[1] increase in human zoonotic cases, and we have seen diseases like West Nile virus[2] jump from Africa to Southern Europe, enabled by the impacts of climate change on climatic conditions. This is a global problem, with increasing outbreaks around the world causing disruption to supply chains[3] and even human deaths[4]. These are no longer isolated anomalies – they are symptoms of a larger, more troubling upward trend.
The resurgence of bluetongue across Europe this past year is another warning shot and an important litmus test of the continent’s preparedness. This year, we were fortunate – this bluetongue variant (BTV-3) was known to the industry, and vaccine development was swiftly expedited, plus, climatic conditions for midges (the flying insects carrying bluetongue from herd to herd) were not favourable.
Future outbreaks – where a new serotype emerges, for example – may not be so forgiving. The consequences may dwarf the impacts of the outbreak of 2006-2008 in Europe, when the then-novel bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) led to severe economic, agricultural, and animal welfare consequences, costing the Netherlands alone €200 million[5].
The power of preparedness with animal vaccination
How do we prevent potentially catastrophic outbreaks of the future? The answer lies in the power of preparedness.
Animal vaccination – where animals’ immune systems are “trained” to recognize and fight specific pathogens, stopping infections before they cause harm – are a vital tool against preventing outbreaks. Vaccinations not only reduce illness, limit disease spread and therefore animal deaths – protecting farmers’ livelihoods, wider food security – but they can also safeguard human health by controlling zoonotic diseases that can jump from animals to people.
However, while they have improved in the past 25 years, vaccination rates across Europe are still too low[6]. To protect against the next inevitable outbreak, we need renewed emphasis on vaccination. Otherwise, the consequences could be severe. This means improving public awareness, supporting more research and development, and ensuring vaccines are widely available.
But improved vaccination is not enough. This needs to feed into a clear, wider strategy, built on the ethics of prevention and anticipation, rather than reaction and recovery.
Effective monitoring of animal diseases and enhanced biosecurity are the building blocks for preparedness. Strengthening Europe’s outbreak preparedness starts with enhancing information gathering on animal diseases and fostering regular dialogue among key prevention and mitigation stakeholders, such as animal health industry leaders and chief veterinary officers.
Additionally, swift action during an outbreak is critical. Establishing a rapid response mechanism can help decision-makers and implementers collaborate more effectively, enabling the timely deployment of vaccines when disaster strikes.
Further benefits
Beyond the economic[7], animal and human health[8] security benefits, improved protections against animal disease can bring enormous environmental positives. Reducing disease by just ten percentage points globally, for example, can prevent 800 million tonnes[9] of greenhouse gas emissions annually – the equivalent per year emissions from 117 million Europeans.
The health, economic, and environmental cases for a clearer animal vaccination strategy are undeniable. Our current approach remains precarious, but 2025 offers a pivotal opportunity to implement sustainable solutions. Increasing animal vaccination is an effective pathway to prevent and mitigate the severity of diseases threatening both humans and animals. The next outbreak is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when.’
With proactive strategies in place, 2025 can mark a turning point in reducing animal disease outbreaks, safeguarding economies, and ensuring the health of animals and people. European leaders must seize this moment to build a stronger, more resilient future.
References
[1] https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/european-union-one-health-2022-zoonoses-report#:~:text=Yersiniosis%20was%20the%20third%20most,Mycobacterium%20caprae)%2C%20and%20tularaemia.
[2] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2021/695456/IPOL_STU(2021)695456_EN.pdf
[3] https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-livestock
[4] https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/communicable-disease-threats-report-week-40-2024.pdf
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016758770900350X
[6] https://healthforanimals.org/resources/newsletter/articles/value-of-vaccination/#:~:text=Protecting%20livelihoods,as%20well%20as%20developed%2C%20countries.
[7] https://healthforanimals.org/reports/animal-health-and-sustainability/#:~:text=Calculating%20that%20livestock%20disease%20losses,needs%20of%20317%20million%20people.
[8] https://healthforanimals.org/global-challenges/zoonoses/
[9] https://healthforanimals.org/reports/animal-health-and-sustainability/#:~:text=When%20global%20disease%20levels%20fall,emitted%20per%20person%20each%20year.
By Fourrure (http://www.boulesdefourrure.fr) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/21345015@N06/2842913446/in/set-72157624126462648/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11082196