KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Climate change could give rise to the spread of disease between animals and humans, presenting threats to global public health through the emergence of new diseases, said UKM Public Health and Medicine Department lecturer Prof Dr Rozita Hod.
She said habitat and ecosystemic change could drive more frequent wildlife-human interactions and increase the risk of zoonotic diseases.
She referred to COVID-19 as an example of a new disease with complex animal-human-environment risks.
“There are actually studies that show (links) between climate change and COVID-19. For example, maybe the hosts were in forests, but now it has reached humans.
“Many scientists predict that the world as it is now is like a time bomb. There could be various new diseases like COVID-19 that we don’t know about,” she told reporters yesterday.
Earlier, she had delivered a lecture titled “Climate Change and its Effect on Human Health: The Spread of Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases” at Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital here.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says climate change could influence the pattern of infectious diseases through changes in animal habitat distribution and pathogen- and disease-carrying vectors.
WHO last year said there is evidence showing how SARS-COV-2 could have entered the human population through zoonotic means, whether directly from bats or through intermediary hosts, though the source of the disease has not been identified.
To manage health threats, Dr Rozita said the One Health approach is an important method as it combines expertise in human, animal and environmental health.
“It has long been established by experts in universities to curb (the spread of) diseases from animals to humans.
“There is also a One Health unit at the Health Ministry (MOH) that works closely with the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) and has shared data, such as for rabies,” she added.
Dr Rozita also urged the vaccination of pets as a preventive step to lower the risk of certain diseases that could spread to humans.
The Malaysia One Health University Network (MyOHUN) leads efforts to develop expertise in the field. It was launched in 2012 as part of the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN).
MyOHUN now involves more than 17 universities, including UKM and four government agencies, and focuses on training, research and capacity building related to infectious diseases and zoonotic illnesses.
At the policy level, MOH has been championing the establishment of the National One Health Committee since 2024 to strengthen cross-sector action.
