Animals & Human Health

Animals & Human Health: A Focus on Public Health in Cambodia

When we talk about caring for animals in Cambodia, most people picture cute rescue stories, heartbreaking neglect, or the struggle to feed strays on the streets. All of that is real. But there’s another side we don’t talk about enough: animal welfare is directly tied to human health. If we want healthier communities, we have to care for the animals that live among us. It’s that simple, and ignoring it comes at a cost.

Cambodia faces serious public health challenges linked to the way humans and animals live alongside each other. Whether it’s pets, working animals, livestock, or strays on the streets, our lives are intertwined. And when animals are unvaccinated, unprotected, or mistreated, people end up suffering too.

What Are Zoonotic Diseases?

Zoonotic diseases are illnesses that pass from animals to humans. Some of the world’s deadliest diseases fall into this category, and Cambodia experiences the impact more than most realise.

Rabies is the most urgent example. Cambodia is considered a high-risk country for rabies, largely transmitted through dog bites. Hundreds of people die each year as a result, many of them children. Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) can save lives, but it’s expensive, difficult for rural families to access, and often sought too late.

And rabies isn’t the only danger.

Leptospirosis, caused by bacteria found in the urine of infected animals, can spread through contaminated water and soil. It’s more common during rainy season and can lead to fever, liver or kidney damage, and even death if untreated.

There’s also avian flu, a virus that occasionally jumps from poultry to humans in the region. Outbreaks are rare, but when they happen, they cause fear and disruption. These risks remind us of something important: animal health is never “just an animal issue.”

Stray Animals and Public Health

Cambodia has large populations of stray dogs and cats. Most aren’t vaccinated, and very few are sterilised. That creates a cycle: more animals, more risk, more suffering on both sides.

On top of that, Cambodians naturally interact with animals a lot. Many families keep pets, others rely on dogs for security, and street feeding is common because people don’t like seeing animals starve. These are compassionate instincts, and they’re good. The problem is when love for animals doesn’t come with awareness of how to keep both them and ourselves safe.

When animals are scared, hungry, sick, or breeding uncontrollably, the risk of bites, disease, and conflict rises. It’s not cruelty that causes the problem—it's a lack of education, resources, and long-term welfare solutions.

Real Public Health Change Starts With Animal Welfare

If we want healthier communities, here’s what works:

Vaccination
Rabies vaccinations for animals save human lives. One vaccinated dog can prevent dozens of future infections. It’s one of the most cost-effective public health tools we have.

Sterilisation
Spaying and neutering reduces the stray population over time, lowers aggression linked to mating, and prevents countless litters being born into hardship. Fewer strays means fewer bites, fewer diseases, and far less suffering.

Education
This is the game-changer. If communities learn how to approach animals safely, when to seek treatment, and why vaccination matters, behaviour shifts. Awareness is powerful.

What’s Working – And What Needs Strengthening

There are success stories. Some NGOs and vets in Cambodia have run community vaccination and spay/neuter campaigns, and the results are encouraging. When animal welfare teams collaborate with health authorities, schools, or local leaders, you see immediate impact: fewer rabies cases, safer neighbourhoods, and more compassion.

But we need more of it. Rural outreach is limited. Many families still don’t know what to do after a bite. Sterilisation programs exist, but they’re not nearly widespread enough to stop the cycle.

Final Thoughts – And a Gentle Challenge

If we take animal welfare seriously, we protect human life too. This isn’t a job for someone else. It’s a shared responsibility.

We can choose to care, learn, and help.

If you’d like to support rabies vaccination, sterilisation, or education programs—or get involved with Kingdom Kitties as we work to create safer, kinder communities—your voice and your effort will make a real difference.

Will you help us protect both people and animals?