The World Health Organization calls on the countries of the world to stop selling live mammals in animal markets

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization asked countries around the world to suspend the sale of live wild mammals in the food market due to the great risk of new infectious diseases being transmitted to humans.

In a joint statement with the World Organization for Animal Health and the United Nations Environment Program, the organization stressed that "animals, especially wild ones, are the source of more than 70% of all human infectious diseases, and many of them are caused by new viruses."

The World Health Organization highlighted the risk of direct transmission of emerging infectious diseases to humans who handle the bodily fluids of an infected animal, and inferred the "additional risks" of catching the infection in places where such animals are present or sites that could be contaminated with such viruses.

"Traditional markets in the world can play a major role in providing food and livelihoods for a large number of people," the World Health Organization said in a statement. "Nevertheless, prohibiting the sale of animals can protect the health of individuals - whether working there or shopping there."

And the transmission of Corona infection to humans from animals is one of the hypotheses most likely by experts commissioned by the United Nations to verify the origin of the virus.

According to the arrangement of viruses that have a strong potential for transmission from animals to humans, Corona came in second place, while the "Lassa" virus was in first place, and Ebola ranked third, according to the scientific site " Live Science " report.

The "Lassa" virus is one of the endemic diseases in West African countries, which causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever when it infects humans, and mice are the main carrier of this virus, and it can infect humans and animals alike.

As for the "Ebola" virus, which ranked third, it was discovered by the scientist Peter Piot and an international team including Congolese Professor Muyembe in 1976.

And transmitted infection to humans from infected animals. It is transmitted between humans through body secretions, and its main symptoms are fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhea. The disease has struck again in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Source: News Agencies