Review Article
Negesse Mekonnen and Laiju Sam
Abstract
The world's climate appears now to be changing at an unprecedented rate. Every environmental alteration, irrespective of its causes, namely natural or through human intervention, modifies the ecological equilibrium and setting within which diseases, hosts or vectors and parasites breed, develop, and transmit disease. Climate change would directly affect disease transmission by shifting the vector's geographic range and increasing reproductive and biting rates and by shortening the pathogen incubation period. Unpredicted natural disasters following changes of climatic contents have also significant effect in transmission of diseases. Vector borne diseases that were previously restricted to tropical areas are now spreading to previously cooler areas. Climate related increments in sea surface temperature and sea levels could lead to higher incidence of water-borne infections. Currently, climate changes at global level is becoming the key determinant for the emergence of new and re-emergence of previously available animal diseases throughout the globe such as Rift Valley Fever, Ebola, Zika, Bluetongue, Schmallenberg, Crimean- Congo haemorrhagic fever and others. Therefore, appropriate livestock husbandry and management practices, adequate disease outbreak response plans, enhancement of disease surveillance and monitoring systems, and development of effectively coordinated locally appropriate strategies should be implemented to mitigate and prevent climate sensitive animal diseases.