Veterinary medicine, global health

In the wake of repeated global outbreaks of foreign animal diseases, food contamination by multidrug resistant bacteria, and other threats to the safety of our food supply, the veterinary profession is undergoing a resurgence of interest in how to apply the unique expertise of veterinarians more broadly for the public good. The new partnerships, being forged between veterinary and human public health programs through the one-health initiative, provide a visible and heartening expression of an emerging spirit of collaboration, although the complexity of the challenge is daunting.

Many disease outbreaks are linked to the rapid expansion of global trade in food during the past two decades. Accompanying this growth is increasing public concern about the global spread of zoonotic diseases, food safety, animal health and welfare, and environmental degradation. The safety of foods of animal origin is linked directly to animal health and herd management that, in turn, depend on the availability of adequate veterinary diagnostic and public health services. Because many countries in the developing world fail to meet internationally accepted standards for these services, the veterinary profession, and most particularly its veterinary schools and colleges, in developed countries is challenged to provide the necessary expertise (ie, initiatives to develop diagnostic and surveillance capabilities as well as prevention and control programs with appropriate links to wildlife organizations and human health services). To do so is a matter of self-interest to developed countries because the level of risk to the health and security of their livestock and poultry industries rises and falls with the health status of animal populations throughout the world. Success will require long-term financial investment by the Group of Eight (G8) countries, including debt forgiveness and involvement of agencies such as the World Bank and United States Agency for International Development. Success can be measured by the ability of programs devised by donor nations to become self-sustaining.

A growing number of veterinary schools and colleges in the United States now offer degree programs in public health and epidemiology; however, initiatives in food animal medicine generally appear to be shrinking, a circumstance that threatens the profession's relevance to America's food animal industries as well as its ability to meet the urgent challenges posed by the global economy.

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Authors: Alan M. Kelly,  Robert R. Marshak

Source: https://avmajournals.avma.org/