Animal trypanosomosis is a lethal parasitic disease caused by unicellular organisms named trypanosomes. The disease is cyclically transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies and it affects both humans ‘sleeping sickness’ and livestock ‘nagana’ (FAO, 2020).

Diarrhoeal diseases are infectious diseases, contaminants and other causes of diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day, or more frequently than is normal for the individual (WHO, no date). This includes the three clinical types of diarrhoea: acute watery diarrhoea – lasts several hours or days, and includes cholera; acute bloody diarrhoea – also called dysentery; and persistent diarrhoea – lasts 14 days or longer (WHO, 2017).

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable. In 2018, there were an estimated 228 million cases of malaria worldwide and the estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 405,000 (WHO, 2020).

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium commonly found in the gut. Some strains can cause serious food poisoning, leading to diarrhoea and sometimes to life-threatening complications including haemolytic uraemic syndrome (WHO, 2018).

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by various Brucella species, which mainly infect cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs (WHO, 2020).

Zika virus disease is a disease transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes which can lead to complications (WHO, 2018).

West Nile virus disease is a fatal neurological disease caused by a virus transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The virus is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae (WHO, 2017).

Prion diseases are a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals (CDC, no date).

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral infection caused by the CCHF virus. It causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks and epidemics (WHO, 2013).