THE World Health Organization It has already been confirmed that more than 75% of infectious diseases that affect humans originate from animals. So, when an animal transmits a disease to a human being, we speak of the term zoonosis.
More than 200 known zoonotic diseases have been described (leishmaniasis, leptospirosis, bartonellosis, toxoplasmosis, ringworm, rabies, etc.) and it is stated that every year five new human diseases appear and among these new ones, three are of animal origin. In other words, in this globalized world and with climate change, the spread of infectious agents is a reality. In raw figures, we can say that, in the global context, zoonoses are responsible for more than a billion cases of human disease and millions of deaths each year.
Veterinarians play an important role in public health through campaigns to detect, control and eradicate animal diseases. Everyone must know that the veterinary profession is the only one qualified and accredited to talk about zoonoses.
“Veterinarians play an important role in public health through campaigns to detect, control and eradicate animal diseases”
And if we talk about climate change, the increase in temperatures produces a spread of zoonosis to areas where there was previously no presence of certain vector-borne diseases (mainly insects) as they could not survive in certain climates that have now changed, allowing their adaptation. Likewise, the ease and speed of current geographical mobility represent an additional challenge. The global veterinary health alert network and border controls carried out by veterinarians constitute the first line of defense in the fight against animal diseases and zoonoses.
So, when we are faced with episodes of public health crisis such as West Nile virus fever, Crimea Congo or the recent dengue epidemic in Catalonia, as well as avian flu, it is necessary to have veterinary professionals.
The veterinary profession is the only one to apply its knowledge with a holistic vision. “One health, one health” where it brings together the vision of Public Health/Animal Health and Environmental Health, a facet that makes us indispensable in any episode that affects Public Health.
In the public health crisis that we are experiencing in our Andalusia, it is essential that the different administrations involved have the veterinary profession to develop their skills and thus adopt surveillance and control plans so that any zoonosis is monitored and monitored proactively with the aim of being the one that causes the least harm to human beings.
In fact, the Council already includes these professionals in the High Impact Public Health Alerts Committee – Expert Committee, which began with the terrible pandemicand in the recent Strategic Plan for the Surveillance of Arthropod Vectors (PEVA). Finally, it is appropriate to recall the motto of our Veterinary Profession: ‘Hygia pecorid health people’ (Animal health is public health).
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Jose Maria de Torres He is president of the College of Veterinarians of Cordoba.
