Economic burden of zoonotic and infectious diseases on livestock farmers: a narrative review.

Background: Zoonoses significantly impact human health and agricultural productivity, particularly affecting livestock farmers. In this review, the primary objective was to understand the economic impact of both zoonotic and potential zoonotic diseases.

Methods: This narrative review synthesises literature from SCOPUS, Web of Science, PUBMED, and Reports, covering articles published between 1970 and 2024. Inclusion criteria focused on articles discussing economic losses due to zoonotic diseases in livestock, while exclusion criteria eliminated non-peer-reviewed works and studies not in English.

Results: A total of 37 articles were analysed, revealing substantial economic impacts from various zoonotic diseases. The study uncovers a dramatic decrease in milk consumption, with some areas experiencing a reduction of up to 64 per cent, causing financial hardship for dairy farmers. Moreover, animal-to-human transmissible diseases like bovine tuberculosis, Rift Valley Fever and mastitis result in significant economic setbacks, especially in developing countries.

Conclusion: Addressing economic challenges caused by zoonotic and potential diseases is vital for dairy sector sustainability, particularly in developing nations like India. The study emphasises the need for collaborative efforts from stakeholders, including government officials and researchers. It underlines key challenges and compares economic contexts between countries, advocating increased livestock farmers' awareness of these diseases, improved farming techniques, and training programmes to alleviate the problem.