The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) has released its first-ever State of the World’s Animal Health report, which assesses disease trends and the use of vaccines and antibiotics in animals. Not surprisingly, the report highlights the devastating impacts of avian influenza and the increasing number of outbreaks among mammals. High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), aka bird flu, was one of several animal diseases to affect new areas last year. The report also reveals that almost half of the WOAH-listed diseases notified to WOAH between 2005 and 2023 were considered a threat to human health with zoonotic, or animal-to-human infection, potential. Below are a few more highlights from the report, which is available HERE.
High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Continues Global Spread: HPAI’s global spread has been unprecedented, affecting areas previously unaffected by the disease, including Latin America and Antarctica. Between January 2024 and May 25, 2025, 59 countries/territories reported new outbreaks of HPAI in poultry, while 69 countries/territories reported new outbreaks in non-poultry, wild birds or mammals. A total of 1,692 outbreaks were reported in poultry in 2024, alongside 1,360 outbreaks in non-poultry birds, 2,120 outbreaks in wild birds and 1,174 outbreaks in mammals. The reported figures included 16.24 million poultry cases and 148.68 million poultry losses. A notable development in 2024 was the increase in HPAI outbreaks in mammals. Following the first report of HPAI in dairy cattle in the USA in March 2024, the number of outbreaks in mammals significantly increased. In total, 1,022 outbreaks in mammals were recorded, compared to 459 outbreaks in 2023. Among these, 926 outbreaks occurred in cattle in the USA.
African Swine Fever Jumps to New Countries: African swine fever has expanded its geographical range significantly, making control and eradication increasingly challenging. Notably, three countries reported the first occurrence of ASF during 2024: Montenegro in January, Albania in February, and Sri Lanka in October. The spread of ASF to Sri Lanka marked the most significant ‘disease jump’ of the year, with a transmission distance of more than 1,100 miles (1,800 km) from the nearest outbreaks. Among the countries already affected, the Philippines reported the highest number of outbreaks in domestic pigs (1,269 outbreaks).
New World Screwworm Moves Closer to North America: Between 1 January 2024 and 25 May 2025, 16,725 outbreaks of New World Screwworm (NWS) were reported to WAHIS by 19 countries, involving 15 exceptional epidemiological events. The disease was detected for the first time in Mexico in December 2024, while it reoccurred in Nicaragua, which accounted for over 60% of the reported outbreaks. Other affected countries included Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. WOAH says raising awareness among livestock producers and promoting good livestock practices are essential to control the disease’s spread and prevent future incursions into North America. The U.S. eradicated NWS in the 1960s.
Other Diseases: WOAH also highlights global outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), and bluetongue virus as ongoing, serious threats to global livestock, producers, and food supplies.
Wildlife Health Monitoring: Wildlife health has become an increasingly important focus of WOAH. However, global wildlife disease surveillance still faces significant gaps. According to a 2019 study, 165 countries and territories reported surveillance for at least 1 of the 81 diseases listed by WOAH, with countries reporting surveillance for 19 diseases on average. In 2024, 64 countries and territories reported a total of 6,917 outbreaks in wildlife, with the majority occurring in Europe (90.6%). Africa and the Americas had much fewer outbreaks (0.4% and 2.2%, respectively). The diseases reported included significant public health threats like HPAI and West Nile fever, as well as animal health risks like ASF and classical swine fever.
Antibiotic Use Declines: The report also emphasized the importance of disease prevention for reducing the need for antibiotic treatment and limiting the development of drug-resistant diseases. By 2050, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is projected to cause livestock losses that jeopardize the food security of two billion people and result in a US$ 100 trillion economic loss if urgent action is not taken. The latest figures indicate that antimicrobial use, including antibiotics, in animals fell -5% between 2020 and 2022, with use in Europe seeing the biggest decline of -23%, followed by Africa at -20%. However, one in five countries continue to use antimicrobials as growth promoters, which is discouraged by WOAH. “The declining use of antibiotics in almost all regions is encouraging but further reductions can be achieved by prioritizing preventative measures against animal diseases, with vaccination as an essential component of these,” said Dr. Javier Yugueros-Marcos, Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department at WOAH.
