7 diseases that affect animals around the world

Infectious diseases are increasingly disrupting wildlife populations worldwide, compounding existing pressures from climate change and human activities. Here are seven diseases that affect animlas world over.By CNBCTV18.com December 22, 2025, 9:30:13 PM IST (Published)2 Min Read1 / 71. Rabies | Rabies continues to circulate widely among dogs, cats, and bats, among others, spreading through bites and saliva and causing fatal neurological symptoms that disrupt populations and pose a persistent risk to humans and domestic animals. (Image: Canva)2 / 72. Avian Influenza | Avian influenza remains a major threat to wild bird populations, particularly migratory waterfowl, with highly pathogenic strains causing mass die-offs and facilitating cross-border transmission that regularly spills into poultry and, in rare cases, mammals. (Image: Canva)3 / 73. Chytridiomycosis | Chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease affecting amphibians, has been linked to one of the most severe biodiversity losses recorded, as it damages the skin of frogs and salamanders, interferes with respiration and water balance, and has driven many species to extinction. (Image: Canva)4 / 74. Canine Distemper | Canine distemper continues to infect a wide range of wildlife species, including lions, wolves and seals, spreading rapidly through respiratory secretions and leading to large-scale mortality in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. (Image: Shutterstock)5 / 75. Chronic Wasting Disease | Chronic wasting disease is spreading steadily among deer, elk and moose populations, with infected animals suffering progressive neurological damage, extreme weight loss and inevitable death, while prions persist in the environment and complicate containment efforts.6 / 76. White-Nose Syndrome | White-nose syndrome has caused catastrophic declines in bat populations, particularly in North America, as the fungal infection disrupts hibernation cycles, forces premature energy depletion and leads to widespread starvation during winter months. It mainly affects hibernating bats in North America, particularly species like little brown bats, northern long-eared bats, Indiana bats, and tri-colored bats. (Image: Canva)7 / 77. Ebola Virus | Ebola virus outbreaks have repeatedly destroyed great ape populations in Central Africa, with transmission believed to involve fruit bats and resulting in mortality rates high enough to threaten local extinctions in already vulnerable gorilla and chimpanzee groups.Continue Reading

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