A sunny day suddenly turns rainy. Your umbrella? At home. You get drenched. A few days later: Forecast warnings, but you forget it – again. If this happened a third time, you might end up rolling your eyes at yourself. Arguably, although entirely harmless, this is not too different from what we, as a global community, have been doing when it comes to preparing for disease outbreaks, especially transboundary animal diseases (TADs).
Transboundary Animal Diseases
TADs are highly transmissible. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), bluetongue virus (BTV), and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) are examples of diseases with recent outbreaks. Some, like HPAI, are zoonotic – they can spill over to other animal species and humans. It is well recognized today that human, animal and environmental health are closely interconnected: Alarmingly, almost 75% of emerging infectious human diseases have an animal origin.
Why We Must Break the Cycle
History has shown time and again that the most damaging events are often the ones we didn’t anticipate – or failed to adequately prepare for, like COVID-19. Even events that are more localized, such as the FMD outbreaks in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia earlier this year, can cause severe damage: they led to the culling of thousands of animals and trade restrictions, resulting in considerable economic impacts. Recent HPAI outbreaks have caused billions in losses to the poultry industry and raised concerns about zoonotic spillover to humans.
These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a pattern – a pattern of surprise, reaction, and loss. And the consequences aren’t just economic. They ripple through society, affecting food security, public health, livelihoods, and farming communities – and sometimes even trust in government institutions.
The Path Forward: Collaboration and Preparedness
The question we must ask ourselves is simple: How can we, as a society, do better?
First, we need to talk to each other – earlier, and regularly. A strategic, institutionalized dialogue among all stakeholders – academic, public and private – can serve as a crucial first step.
While surveillance, vaccination, and biosecurity are vital to anticipate and mitigate risks, they require previous alignment and timely action. It is encouraging to see that the European Commission is prioritizing preparedness and that several Members of the European Parliament have called for a culture of prevention in animal health.
More concretely, European Agriculture Ministers recently invited the Commission to advance efforts towards creating a legal framework for a pragmatic and didactic approach to vaccination in disease prevention and control.
The next transboundary animal disease outbreak is not a question of “if,” but “when.” The choice we make today will determine whether we face it prepared or unprepared.
At Boehringer Ingelheim, we stand ready to enter a regular dialogue supporting viable preparedness against transboundary animal diseases. Let us choose to talk to each other, and take the umbrella.
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