Role of Veterinarians and One Health in the Fight against Zoonoses
Dr. Sahil Thakur
MVSc. (Animal Nutrition)
Dairy farm Incharge (Field Veterinarian)
sahilthakur4182@gmail.com —– 09418289089
Abstract:
Most of the emerging infectious diseases, including those caused by bioterrorist agents, are zoonoses. Since zoonoses can infect both animals and humans, the medical and veterinary communities should work closely together in clinical, public health, and research settings. In the clinical setting, input from both professions would improve assessments of the risk-benefit ratios of pet ownership, particularly for pet owners who are immunocompromised. In public health, human and animal disease surveillance systems are important in tracking and controlling zoonoses such as avian influenza virus, West Nile virus, and foodborne pathogens. Comparative medicine is the study of disease processes across species, including humans. Physician and veterinarian comparative medicine research teams should be promoted and encouraged to study zoonotic agent-host interactions. These efforts would increase our understanding of how zoonoses expand their host range and would, ultimately, improve prevention and control strategies.
Introduction:
Zoonotic are the diseases that can be transmitted from wild and domestic animals to humans and are public health threats worldwide. Because these diseases come from animals, prevention and control strategies need to be innovative and require the combined efforts of many fields. For example, closer collaborations are needed between veterinarians, physicians, and public health professionals in 3 areas: individual health, population health, and comparative medicine research.
One Health Status in India:
In the Indian context, the OH approach is strategically gaining importance from all stakeholders such as public health professionals, veterinarians, health-care providers, policymakers, and researchers. While animal-to-human transmission is a major threat in the country with several diseases such as avian flu, rabies, a major growing threat is from bovine tuberculosis which is on the increase. In addition, emerging zoonotic diseases are acquired through wild animals, and the OH approach should look into the wild zoonotic diseases also. The successful implementation of the OH model involves integration and collaboration between multiple sectors of agriculture, animal health, and human health
Although the OH approach is in an embryonic stage in India, there are many crosscutting policies and regulatory measures that are operating and conducive for further development of the approach. Owing to the public health importance of zoonotic diseases in India, a National Standing Committee on Zoonoses was formed in 2007. The Food Safety and Standard Act, India, stipulates the limits for contaminants, naturally occurring toxic materials, antibiotic residues, pesticides, heavy metals, veterinary drug residues, etc., Government-initiated control programs for zoonotic and highly communicable diseases such as rabies, brucellosis, and food-and-mouth disease are available. The Centre of Zoonosis, National Centre for Disease Control, India, has published a manual for handling zoonotic diseases. Trade policies exist that affect Indian agricultural practices to maintain stringent quality measures according to the international standards. There is “Make in India” initiative which supports the development of medical equipment, drug, vaccines, and technology innovations that can be used to address zoonotic diseases. There are pilot initiatives on the development of protocol for the Database of Zoonotic Disease Research in India.
Individual Health Collaborations:
At the individual health level, zoonotic diseases are a concern for all who live or work with animals. This risk is especially problematic for persons, such as companion animal owners, who are immune compromised. Grant and Olsen found that physicians are generally not comfortable discussing the role of animals in the transmission of zoonoses and would prefer that veterinarians play a role. However, most patients do not view veterinarians as a source of information for human health. The authors found that only 21% of HIV patients asked their veterinarians about the health risks of pet ownership. Zoonotic risks from companion animals are not limited to those living with HIV. One patient who was taking infliximab for longstanding rheumatoid arthritis became infected with Cryptococcus neoformansafter cleaning a cockatiel’s cage the week before hospitalization. Human lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection is associated with pet rodents and also causes serious infections in immune compromised persons. These risks extend beyond the pet owners and can involve the recipients of the animal owners’ donated organs. For example, LCMV has been responsible for the deaths of 3 organ transplant recipients who received their organs from donors who had owned infected pet rodents. Exotic or unusual pets can pose a risk to the healthy. Salmonellosis developed in 4 children, 1 mother, and an 80-year-old woman after exposure to small pet turtle’s .Salmonellosis has also been associated with pet rodents.For example, during the summer of 2004; two young children became seriously ill with salmonellosis shortly after their families purchased pet rodents. The severity of the risk for zoonotic disease as well as the level of understanding by the animal owner in question would need to be considered. For example, the veterinarian may merely advise potentially exposed persons to seek medical attention or may strenuously urge and ensure that the person receives medical attention immediately. However, veterinarians’ roles in assessing risk for potential zoonotic disease transmission could extend beyond this level of involvement.
Transmission modes of zoonotic disease
They can be transmitted directly by contact with animals (e.g. rabies, through bite), via contaminated environment (e.g., anthrax) and via food (e.g. campylobacteriosis) or indirectly via vectors, such as mosquitoes or ticks (e.g. West Nile fever and Lyme disease, respectively). Increasing demands for food due to an expanding global population has led to a substantial susceptibility of our population to zoonoses . Zoonotic with domestic and wildlife reservoir represent a large spectrum of transmission modes.. Zoonoses comprise interaction between at least three species: one pathogen and two host species, with, people and another animal species acting as the reservoir of the infection.
The movement of pathogens, vectors, and animal hosts:
The movement of pathogens, vectors, and animal hosts can influence the occurrence of zoonoses with wildlife reservoir. These movements can, for example, occur through human travel and trade, by natural movement of animals including migratory birds, and by anthropogenic movement of animals. The appearance of West Nile virus infection in New York in 1999, and the subsequent spread within the United States, is an example of introducing and establishment of pathogen that apparently originated in the Middle East.
The role veterinarians in controlling zoonotic disease:
Since zoonoses can infect both animals and humans, the medical and veterinary communities should work closely together in clinical, public health, and research settings. In the clinical setting, input from both professions would improve assessments of the riskbenefit ratios of pet ownership, particularly for pet owners who are immunocompromised. In public health, human and animal disease surveillance systems are important in tracking and controlling zoonoses The bond between humans and animals has been recognized for many years, and pet ownership has been associated with both emotional and health benefits. However, pet ownership may also pose health risks through the zoonotic transmission of infectious diseases, especially, compromised individuals
Zoonoses are diseases that can be transmitted from wild and domestic animals to humans and are public health threats worldwide. So the implementation of zoonoses control program must rely on multidisciplinary sources for data on epidemiology, socio-economic impact and other fundamental aspects of zoonoses. Closer collaboration is required among health institutions, public authorities, diagnostic facilities, the medical sector and veterinary services. Veterinary public health has been defined as one part of public health action which is committed to the protection and improvement of human health through application of the capabilities, knowledge, and profession as sources of veterinary services. Because these diseases come from animals, prevention and control strategies need to be innovative and require the combined efforts of many fields. For example, closer collaborations are needed between veterinarians, physicians, and public health professionals in 3 areas: individual health, population health, and comparative medicine research.
Conclusion:
Zoonoses are diseases of animals that can infect humans, veterinarians, physicians, and public health officials need to work more closely together to control, prevent, and understand them. In the individual health setting, collaborative input from both veterinarians and physicians would help assess a patient’s potential zoonotic disease risks from animal exposure.
References:
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- https://www.msdvetmanual.com/public-health/public-health-primer/role-of-the-veterinarian-in-public-health-one-health
- https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/role-of-the-veterinarians-and-one-health-in-the-fight-against-zoonoses-5/
