Enzootic diseases

Enzootic animal diseases are indigenous to or always present in particular areas or among particular species of animals. Enzootic diseases are liable to become epizootic (even epidemic) under certain circumstances, in which case many animals are attacked and the disease may spread over a large area or over an entire continent. Enzootic animal diseases raise the risk of infection in man if they are zoonotic, that is to say communicable and common to man and animals.

Rabies is enzootic in Europe; braxy and louping ill are enzootic among sheep in Scotland and the north of England; anthrax is enzootic among horses in Asia Minor; foot-and-mouth disease is enzootic in many tropical countries; and rinderpest is currently enzootic or epizootic in most tropical African countries.