Burden of zoonotic diseases in Venezuela during 2004 and 2005.

Emerging zoonotic diseases have increased in importance in human and animal health during the last 10 years. Each of these diseases has emerged from an unsuspected quarter and has caused severe problems. In countries, such as Venezuela, the burden of these zoonoses has been understudied. In this report we analyze the status of such diseases in Venezuela for the period 2004-2005. During this period a significant number of animal and human cases of these diseases have been found, particularly for rabies, encephalitis, leishmaniasis, and cysticercosis among others. Surveillance needs to be reinforced for these zoonoses.