Veterinary Epidemiology and Zoonosis

Introduction to Veterinary Public Health

VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH

Veterinary Public Health

• World Health Organization (WHO) defined Veterinary Public Health (VPH) as "the sum of all contributions to the physical, mental and social well-being of humans through an understanding and application of veterinary science". Zoonoses are the main concern of VPH.

Zoonoses and public health

• Human health is inextricably linked to animal health and production.
• This link between human and animal populations, and with the surrounding environment, is particularly close in developing regions where animals provide transportation, draught power, fuel and clothing as well as proteins (meat, eggs and milk).
• In both developing and industrialized countries, however, this can lead to a serious risk to public health with severe economic consequences.
• A number of communicable diseases (known as zoonoses) are transmitted from animals to humans.
• About 75% of the new diseases that have affected humans over the past 10 years have been caused by pathogens originating from an animal or from products of animal origin.
• Many of these diseases have the potential to spread through various means over long distances and to become global problems.
• In addition a number of well known and preventable animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans (i.e. zoonoses) such as rabies, brucellosis, leishmaniosis and echinococcosis continue to occur in many countries especially in the developing world where they mostly affect the poorest segment of the human population.
• They cause a serious amount of deaths and millions of affected people every year.
• All major zoonotic diseases prevent the efficient production of food of animal origin, particularly of much-needed proteins, and create obstacles to international trade in animals and animal products. They are thus an impediment to overall socioeconomic development.
• From way back veterinary medicine played a major role in the preventing of and interventions against animal diseases including zoonoses.