U.N.: No Country Is Immune from Animal Disease

MILAN, Italy — No country is immune from animal diseases as the globalization of movement of people and goods, tourism and climate change favor the spread of animal viruses around the world, according to the U.N. food agency.

Countries should boost investment in surveillance and control after a recent outbreak of the bluetongue virus in Britain showed animal diseases were spreading around the world, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement.

“No country can claim to be a safe haven with respect to animal diseases,” said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech.

“Transboundary animal diseases that were originally confined to tropical countries are on the rise around the globe. They do not spare temperate zones including Europe, the United States and Australia,” he said.

Read the full Reuters story here.