Role of Veterinarians in Covid crisis
The novel COVID-19 coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The global COVID-19 outbreak is still under way. The World Health Organization (WHO) initially declared the 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak an international health emergency of international concern and later declared it a pandemic. Since then, this virus has spread to every continent except the Antarctica. The first isolation of the coronavirus was done in 1937. The coronavirus can infect a wide variety of hosts including cattle, pigs, turkeys, cats, rats, dogs, and humans. This virus causes serious illnesses in humans, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and pneumonia, and other mild illnesses such as colds and those affecting the intestines. Since, the coronavirus is thought to be of animal origin, so when the pandemic started, it created a fear among animal handlers towards their loved ones as they started abandoning their animals because of the rumors created , hence the lockdown also led to abandoning of many innocent animals. So, it was the duty of veterinarians to cope with the situation and to educate people about the spread and transmission of the virus. The Indian Veterinary Association was the first to take note of this issue and concluded that the current spread of COVID 19 is a result of human to human transmission- “To date , there is no evidence that companion animals spread the disease. Therefore there is no justification in taking measures against companion animals which may compromise their welfare”. They said.
In addition to collaborative research, the animal health sector, and particularly veterinary science, is contributing in various ways to creating a common response to the pandemic. Veterinarians in many countries have shown their commitment to support the work of health authorities by participating in activities such as monitoring, detection, and assisting health services with diagnostic capabilities. Some veterinary clinics have donated vital supplies such as personal protective equipment, ventilators, concentrators and fans. Veterinary professionals have also volunteered in hospitals and laboratories when human resources were insufficient. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to unite lives. Veterinarians have never been out of service and in these challenging times veterinary medicine has advanced significantly and rapidly, which has demonstrated the ability of veterinarians to cope, adapt and maintain their leadership roles in animal and public health crisis. COVID-19 has reminded us that we are one and the opportunity has come to realign our health policy. Currently, various sectors such as medicine, pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicine provide direct health services, while other related sectors such as agriculture, forestry and the environment provide an indirect service to animals and humans. In the current Covid-19 crisis, where everything looks bleak, a glimmer of hope is visible through the collaborative and coordinating efforts of professionals from various fields to contain pandemics. Veterinary laboratories are operating day and night during the ongoing pandemic. Numerous veterinary immunologists, virologists with medical training have made a remarkable contribution to cope with the current situation with their research, diagnosis and vaccine preparations, etc. The veterinary services have also helped to build a joint response to the pandemic. Veterinarians in many countries have shown their commitment to support the work of health authorities.
https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/role-of-veterinarian-during-covid-19-crisis/
Sometimes when scientists around the world are working hard to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID 19, the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Center (GBRC) managed to sequence the entire COVID19 genome under the guidance of Dr. CG Joshi, director of GBRC, an imminent veterinarian. The entire genome will play a critical role in tracking origins, drug targets, vaccines, and associations with virulence. Many veterinary universities became corona centers in order to counter the lack of beds in medical hospitals. They also continued online teaching so that the career of the students must not suffer. Veterinarians around the world are committed to understand the ecology of emerging zoonotic diseases between animals and humans. COVID 19 is of animal origin and requires a concerted effort from veterinarians and medical professionals to resolve these issues. The need for a vaccine has also been met, but it is important to mention that the vaccine is not completely effective against infections, it can only protect us from dangerous effects, reduce hospital stay thereby causing less stress on health workers. The second COVID wave has also set priorities in the veterinary sector to monitor the public and animal health through the following services : –
- Preventive measures, especially vaccination campaigns.
- Education and research in vocational subjects so that students do not suffer.
- Effective use of veterinarians through their specialization as microbiologists, biotechnologists for COVID-19 tests and their expertise in vaccine preparation.
- Use of outreach staff to impart knowledge to the population.
Putting simply, veterinarians are selfless scientists who care not just about innocent creatures, but society as a whole. The unprecedented nature of this pandemic and the mysteries surrounding the virus require new and innovative approaches to combat it, these will only be developed through sectoral cooperation and joint actions against diseases, by participating in activities such as surveillance, screenings and analysis of human samples, so as to make diagnostic capabilities more productive. The veterinary hospitals and clinics not only donate important materials for personal protection but also help in reducing the stress on frontline workers. Veterinarians have also volunteered in hospitals and laboratories when human resources were insufficient. In some countries, animal epidemiologists have supported their counterparts in public health response to track human diseases and help develop effective public health interventions in controlling the pandemics. In addition to crisis management efforts, it should not be forgotten that the activities of the veterinary services daily contribute to meeting critical needs that are seriously challenged in the current circumstances: food security and livelihoods are inextricably linked to solid animal production systems which can only be addressed with the help of veterinarians.
Dr. Nishchal Dutta, Dr. Jasmine Banga, Dr. H.S Banga and Dr. Sidhartha Deshmukh
Khalsa College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Amritsar-143002.
