Human behavior strategies to mitigate zoonotic spillover risk

Human-animal contact has been implicated as a primary driver for the emergence of several high-impact zoonotic diseases. However, existing surveillance and risk mitigation measures have a limited focus on human behaviors, and the links between animal contact behaviors and zoonotic spillover risk are poorly understood. This leaves many spillover events insufficiently detected or characterized and presents a challenge in developing risk mitigation strategies for preventing pandemics. Multiple-year research in Southern China used qualitative and quantitative methods and integrated behavioral and biological data. One finding was that some communities live proximal to wild animal populations but have low knowledge and perceived risk regarding disease emergence from animal–human interactions. The research has helped characterize at-risk human-animal contacts, identify determinants of at-risk behaviors, and develop evidence- and context-based behavioral change strategies for risk mitigation among local communities.