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Does urbanization make emergence of zoonosis more likely? Evidence, myths and gaps

Ahmed, S; DÁvila, JD; Allen, A; Haklay, MMUKI; Tacoli, C; FÈvre, EM; (2019) Does urbanization make emergence of zoonosis more likely? Evidence, myths and gaps. Environment and Urbanization , 31 (2) pp. 443-460. 10.1177/0956247819866124. Green open access

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Abstract

Rapid urbanization in the global South is adding epidemiological and nutritional challenges and additional disease and health burdens for citizens. Greater movement of people, animals, food and trade often provides favourable grounds for the emergence of infectious diseases, including zoonosis (diseases that have an animal origin). We conduct a rapid evidence scan to explore what is known and hypothesized about the links between urbanization and the emergence of zoonosis. The bulk of the literature reviewed points to rapid demographic growth, migration and density, increased movement of people and animals, and changes in land uses, as the main processes linked to the prevalence of zoonosis in the urban global South. Yet, we argue that emerging global health challenges like this are deeply connected with the urbanization of poverty and socio-economic inequalities within cities. Thus, understanding and tackling the micro-level causal relationships between urbanization and zoonosis requires urgent attention to poor and inadequate living conditions, as well as to the wider socioenvironmental transitions and structural drivers that produce and reproduce risk accumulation in urban settings, due to chronic public disinvestment on protective infrastructures and preventive measures.

Type: Article
Title: Does urbanization make emergence of zoonosis more likely? Evidence, myths and gaps
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1177/0956247819866124
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247819866124
Language: English
Additional information: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission
Keywords: Urbanization, zoonosis, livestock, health hazards, risk accumulation, urban global South
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Development Planning Unit
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10081762
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