Rodents (Order Rodentia) are one of the most speciose and diversified groups of terrestrial mammals with several beneficial roles in nature. They constitute 2277 known species which make up 42% of total mammal fauna. They are reported to inhabit in all continents except Antarctica and several small islands. They perform several beneficial roles in the environment. Despite of several beneficial roles, rodents are also a source of zoonotic pathogens. Rodents are important reservoirs of evolving zoonotic diseases because they come into close contact with livestock in the agricultural background and humans in urban zones. Almost 10% of the rodent population is either a carrier or reservoir of zoonotic pathogens of public health significance. Rapid development of agricultural and industrial change throughout the globe, has led to a significant increase in zoonotic borne disease of rodents. Rodents transfer pathogenic agents to humans through direct contact, and animals or via contamination of human food, water with rodents’ stool, or through urine. Arthropod vectors on the skin of several rodents are also able to carry zoonotic pathogens. Several factors regulate human rodent pathogen transmission like rodent population handling, human socio-economic lifestyle, and even war. Human activities such as animal trade, migration, urbanization, and large-scale traveling are facilitating factors in rodent-pathogens transfer.

Sucking pests of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), such as thrips, or Thrips tabaci Lindeman, and jassid, or Amrasca biguttula Ishida, are among the most threatening insect pests to young cotton plants in Pakistan. New chemical insecticides have been trialed to control their damage in commercial fields. Formulations that show good suppression of these pest’s populations, while sparing bio-controlling agents, are always preferred for obtaining better crop yield. Six different commercially available insecticides, namely Fountain^® (fipronil and imidacloprid), Movento Energy^® (spirotetramat and imidacloprid), Oshin^® (dinotefuran), Concept Plus^® (pyriproxyfen, fenpyroximate, and acephate), Maximal^® (nitenpyram), and Radiant^® (spinetoram) were evaluated in the present study to shortlist the best available insecticide against targeted pests. Harmful impacts of selected insecticides were also evaluated against naturally occurring predators, such as spiders and green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea). Radiant^® (spinetoram) and Movento Energy^®, respectively, were best at controlling thrips (with 61% and 56% mortality, respectively) and jassid (62% and 57% mortality, respectively) populations during 2018 and 2019. Radiant^® proved itself as the best option and showed minimal harmful effects on both major arthropod predators of cotton fields i.e., spiders (with 8–9% mortality) and green lacewings (with 12–16% mortality). Movento Energy^® also showed comparatively less harmful effects (with 15–18% mortality) towards natural predatory fauna of cotton crops, as compared to other selective insecticides used in the study. The findings of current study suggest that the judicious use of target-oriented insecticides can be an efficient and predator-friendly management module in cotton fields. However, the impact of these chemicals is also depended on their timely application, keeping in consideration the ETL of pests and the population of beneficial arthropods.

In developing countries, emergences of the infectious diseases cause serious issues to public health security due to lack of sufficient resources. The emergence of the COVID-2019 in China during late December 2019 resulted in international health emergency all over the world in few weeks and attained high risk category. On 11 March 2020, World Health Organization declared Coronavirus disease as pandemic. Staring from Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease has spread in 209 countries including Pakistan. Till March 30, 2020, the number of causalities by Coronavirus disease has reached up to 33,983 among 722664 confirmed cases affected by this globally. In Pakistan, the first case of the Coronavirus is reported on February 25, 2020 and till 30 March 2020, 1526 confirmed cases and 13 deaths are reported by Ministry of National Health Services of Pakistan. The fight of Pakistan against coronavirus disease like other developing countries may be different from technologically equipped countries. Despite of the limited recourses, Pakistan has taken meticulous measures by developing special hospitals on pattern of Republic of China, availability of rapid diagnosis, strict implementation of lockdown and strong awareness campaign against COVID-19. This article reviews recent outbreak of COVID-19 and its trends of control measures taken by Government of Pakistan for development of nimble health care setup in the country.

Rice is a key food crop worldwide, but its yield and quality are severely constrained by insect pests. As environmental and regulatory restrictions on chemical pesticides grow, developing insect-resistant rice varieties has become a sustainable way to protect food security. This review covers recent progress in functional genomics and molecular marker mapping related to insect resistance in rice. We highlight the identification, cloning, and functional analysis of resistance genes targeting major pests, including the brown planthopper, rice gall midge, white-backed planthopper, small brown planthopper, and rice leaf roller. Several important resistance genes (such as Bph14, Bph3, and Bph29) have been cloned, and their roles in rice immunity have been clarified—covering insect feeding signal recognition, activation of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid pathways, and regulation of MAPK cascades, calcium signaling, and reactive oxygen species production. We also discuss how molecular marker-assisted selection, gene pyramiding, and transgenic techniques are used in modern rice breeding. Finally, we address future challenges and opportunities, stressing the importance of utilizing wild rice germplasm, understanding insect effector–plant immune interactions, and applying molecular design breeding to create long-lasting insect-resistant rice varieties that can withstand changing pest pressures and climate conditions.

Vaccination hesitancy is strong and widespread in many parts of the world, especially in low and middle-income countries. At the time of current Covid-19 pandemic, vaccination is crucial to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2.So, beside development and access of the vaccine, it is necessary to make the general public ready to get vaccinated. Due to various conspiracy theories circulating on social media, the mass proportion may show Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy in Pakistan.This study recommends that health care authorities should take necessary steps to stop the penetration of these false claims about the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in Pakistan. It also recommends strategies to combat Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy through electronic media, strict measures from healthcare authorities, and engaging local communities. Religious and cultural barriers should be strongly addressed to vaccination in people of different ethnic groups.

The third pandemic has hit the globe during the last two decades repeating the zoonotic history of the viral out breaks. The current coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic first experienced from the Wuhan, Hubei, China during the late December 2019 has infected 9742302 people across the world with 492475 casualties till June 26, 2020 Before this, the pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 has also adversely affected the humanity. The previous investigations about origin of SARS in 2002-2004 and MERS in 2012 rooted into zoonotic origin caused by bats and camels. The recent nightmare of COVID-19 once again has repeated the history of zoonotic origin and confirmed its origin from bats and pangolins. After 20 years, humanity is facing the music of same zoonotic viral infection as coronavirus adaptability to mutate and acclimatize in new wild hosts. This is mainly attributed to consumption of wild animals like bats, snakes, dogs, civet cats, raccoons and many more without any check globally. It’s the time to review the wild food consumption otherwise many such COVID pandemics would hit the humanity in future.