Emerging zoonotic viral diseases and preventive strategies with Islamic perspectives of halal foods

Abstract

There are several emerging zoonotic viral diseases associated with wildlife or non-wildlife food that arise with the passage of time. Different pathogenic strains with advanced mutational changes results in severe pathogenicity in respective hosts either animals or humans. The viability in human host employs the certainty of transmission from animals. Most of the viral diseases in humans caused by direct close contact between animals or indirectly through intermediate hosts. Many of the coronaviral diseases spread by bats specie and its reservoirs. Moreover, the consumption of other wildlife animals common in certain regions of world escalate the potential risk for gaining various zoonotic viral ailments. On the other hand, the Islamic norms for food consumption remarkably reduces the risk of these diseases by devouring the Halal (lawful) or Tayyab foods. The xenobiotic transformations in animals also illustrates the prohibition of haram (unlawful) food consumption. Humans with compromised immune system in elderly or suffering from chronic diseases can easily adopt these viral diseases and thus may prone to lethality. One of the emerging zoonotic viral diseases involve COVID-19 caused by novel β-coronavirus (nCov) transmission has been suspected in Wuhan wildlife market that also have origin of bat reservoirs as natural host based on virus genome sequencing results and evolutionary analysis. Measures to prevent or reduce transmission should be especially implemented in populations at greater risk.