The UN body said that wild animals were the source of more than 70% of all emerging infectious diseases in humans.
The World Health Organisation on Tuesday urged countries to suspend the sale of live animals captured from the wild in food markets as an emergency measure, noting that they were a leading source of emerging infectious diseases like the coronavirus. “Animals, particularly wild animals, are the source of more than 70% of all emerging infectious diseases in humans, many of which are caused by novel viruses,” said the WHO. “Wild mammals, in particular, pose a risk for the emergence of new diseases.
