Topic: 2024-Spread of Animal Viruses
Country: Australia
Delegate Name: Maizie Van Ausdall
GLIMUN 2024
ECOSOC: World Health Organization
Country: Australia
Delegate: Maizie Van Ausdall
Fishers High School
Topic A: The Spread of Animal Viruses
In Australia, the common zoonotic diseases most frequently come from livestock, including cows and sheep. The only spread by non-domesticated animals ever commonly seen is by bats (Chiroptera), rodents (Rodentia), and mosquitos (arboviruses). It largely affects only livestock workers or other individuals who regularly come into contact with the bacteria-housing bodily fluids of domestic animals. Zoonoses are also spread not only from direct contact, but contamination of water supplies or dairy products as well. The particular diseases most frequently found in Australia are Q Fever and Leptospirosis.
Overall, zoonotic viruses do not pose a major threat in Australia, but the country would like to enhance preventative measures and improve healthcare, so it poses no threat at all. It is clear to Australia that the best way to combat common zoonotic diseases are better health and produce regulations and wide-spread vaccination. Q Fever for example is both highly infectious and entirely preventable with vaccinations. The delegation of Australia recognizes that the spread of many diseases is able to be ceased through the encouragement of preventative vaccination.
Australia is an Active Member State and has had a partnership with the WHO for more than 70 years, having consistently been a top contributor. The delegation of Australia believes in order to have an impact on the health and welfare of all peoples, it is vital that all countries promote initiatives such as mandatory vaccinations in schools and universities, better food and drug regulations. Anthrax, one of the most common zoonosis world-wide, is incredibly rare in Australia, with only 3 cases in humans since 2001, because of the efforts by the Department of Health and Aged Care to encourage vaccination and the Department of Agriculture and Water to regulate livestock. The efforts that Australia makes to prevent zoonotic diseases have proven to be widely successful and the delegation of Australia is proud to be an exemplary model of controlling the spread of zoonoses.
Sources
Topic A:
https://www.vetvoice.com.au/ec/diseases/zoonoses-and-zoonotic-diseases/
https://www.qfever.org/aboutqfever
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/animals/diseases/manage/zoonosis
https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources/patterns-zoonotic-disease
https://www.who.int/about/funding/contributors/aus
https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/who-assessment.pdf
https://www.health.gov.au/diseases/anthrax#:~:text=These%20bacteria%20can%20survive%20for,grazing%20animals%20in%20many%20countries
