The Veterinarians Response to Covid-19 Crisis
On the twentieth of April, 2021, it has been almost sixteen months as the world continues its struggle to neutralize “COVID-19 Pandemic” of this “Digital- diagnostic-techno-savvy” Era. History proves the exponential extent of such mass ailments collapsing the socio-economic functioning of the world at large. Sadly, humanity and mankind are at similar crossroads again.
The health hazards we are witnessing currently due to the unstoppable Novel Corona Virus; SARS-Co-2, have crossed all barriers and stretched throughout the globe, escalating emergencies and fatalities. First identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, central China, in December 2019, the outbreak was traced back to a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown etiology identified from the seafood market of Wuhan. It has been hypothesized that the initial entry in human population was either through direct contact with the infected animal or via eating the undercooked meat of an infected animal. Though slightly mystic in emergence, genetic evidence is suggestive of bats as reservoir host of the virus, and pangolins as probable intermediate, crossing over the species barrier to infect humans and other string of fauna. Interestingly, evidence is also indicative of infected humans facilitating reverse-zoonotic transmission to animals .
Despite our advances in medicine and research, we continue to be challenged with new pathogens that pose a threat to human lives, global economic security, and the healthcare systems(2). Researches prove that 60% of the infectious diseases and 70% of emerging diseases of humans have zoonotic origins(3).The contributing factors to emergence and spread of newer infections may be attributed to extensive urbanization, global warming and climatic change, biodiversity loss, deforestation increasing human-animal interface and diversified food-habits to consume different kinds of animals, poultry and wildlife animal species.
Thus, with rapidly changing interconnections among humans, wildlife, animals, and ecosystem, with an agenda to get a better insight of the sequences of events for public as well animal health, it is suggested to preview a veterinarian’s role as a more transdisciplinary diversified functionary amidst such devastating pandemic (4).
In past few decades some major outbreaks have revealed that a common source of all the medical calamities have been animals (5), thereby making it imperative to involve the veterinarian into the matrix of prevention, treatment, research and strategy planning for handling of such outbreaks. Considering these transdisciplinary roles of an animal health worker, focus should primarily rest on some key factors for containment of such pandemics.
Epidemiology and Surveillance
Considering the fact that SARS-CoV-2 with its large genetic diversity and the frequent recombination of its genomes coupled with the increase in human-animal interface activities originated from animal population leading to the worst pandemic of modern times(6), the role of field veterinarian translates to be much more amplified. This includes massive surveillance at the local level to ensure disease free environment, as well reporting and sampling of any suspected cases in the vicinity. An integrated surveillance armature and monitoring of presence of pathogens or, the occurrence of infectious diseases in both humans and animals can facilitate the detection of emerging pathogenicity sharing similar genotypes across species(7).
In light of the same, a veterinarian’s role in epidemiology involves the study of disease in populations and of factors that determine its occurrence. Epidemiology is concerned with factors determining health and disease, morbidity, injury, disability, and mortality in a particular area. Epidemiological survey will not only enhance health but also help in maintaining productivity in times of crisis.
Zoonosis and Public health
Science has amply proved an inextricable link between animal and human health(8). The most horrifying challenge in today’s World is emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases confront not only veterinarians but also public health professionals. Previous outbreaks have signified the team work between veterinarians and public health workers in zoonosis control programs. A zoonotic disease can emerge as the result of increased human-animal contact, which further have been observed to snowball into mass calamities and catastrophes. It may also result from an increased prevalence of the pathogenic agent in domesticated or wild animals, infecting and reinfecting humans and vice-versa. Such an emergency poses 2 main concerns about reverse zoonosis. Initially, the infected animals may become ill and succumb to complexities; subsequently, the population of animals in question becomes a virus reservoir, from which reintroduction into human race can take place(9).In both the cases, veterinary services are at the forefront, firstly, in providing a conclusive treatment to all the evident symptomatic animals, the absence of which may cause mortalities leading to an aggravated community spread. Furthermore, facilitating proper disposal of carcass, as per the OIE guidelines, and last yet not the least, elimination or neutralization of the reservoir host by either removing infected individual, rendering infected individuals, “non shedder” and manipulating the environment.
Virtually every veterinarian contributes to an overall public health effort by providing a skilled diagnosis for acute or chronic diseases amongst animals, that may affect the health of owners and their families as well as the surrounding communities. Mode of contribution towards public health includes performing routine health check-ups and organizing livestock treatment camps, mass immunization drives, parasite control programs, which in turn would also accentuate vector control.
In addition to these modus operandi, reporting of disease events through the National Disease Reporting System (NADRS) to state regulatory agencies, collaboration with human medical counterparts on zoonotic diseases, and advisory to local health boards and commissions are some of the mandatory issues governing public health one must keep in mind during covid crisis.
Global food security
In light of the ongoing environmental condition, Covid-19 has exposed animal and plant-based food production to mightier social risks globally. Health of people in meat and poultry industry impacts the food security, which is quintessential to health and economic growth. Input of Veterinarians in safeguarding global food security and stability through contributing their expertise in food animal production, food safety, epidemiology and biosecurity will prevent future pandemics and maintain an optimum public health infrastructure, including the safety of people engaged in animal origin food production (10). Control and minimization of biological hazards of animal and public health importance by ante- and post-mortem meat inspection is a core responsibility of the Veterinary Services. Slaughterhouse inspection of live animals (ante-mortem) and the carcase (post-mortem) plays a key role in both the surveillance network for animal diseases and zoonoses thus ensuring the safety and security of meat and other by-products for their required use. Unhealthy meat animals carry increased food safety risks and affect the economic status globally (11).
One Health Policy
One Health has been defined by the WHO as “an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes”. One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines – working locally, nationally and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment(12).As per the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, future pandemics may be averted with an integrated One Health approach to public health, animal health and the environment. Execution of one health has the potential to significantly limit the occurrence of infectious diseases in general, and of COVID-19 in particular. However, a holistic approach towards betterment of human and animal health, disease free wildlife along with a healthy environment is yet to be strongly implemented. Such uncomprehensive interdependencies of human race, animals, and the environment becomes more analytical to our collective health and safety.
Evaluating the aspects of One Health, the foremost way for the prophylaxis and safeguarding of human health is to promote animal health and environment. The contribution of a veterinarian in one health concept is way beyond the level of attending clinical and sporadic cases. Outlined earlier as well, One Health promotes a diversified role of an animal health worker/ veterinarian, which includes public addressing of the negative externalities of livestock farming or production and consumption of inferior quality animal products. As animals play a crucial role in the human food chain, keeping our animals healthy and nurturing their welfare along with ensuring biosafety measures, will in turn reduce the health hazards amongst the closer contact group. Furthermore, healthy animals and healthy animal food will also minimise the risk of zoonotic disease transfer, thereby promoting human health (13).
Thus, it won’t be fallacious to come to a conclusion that One Health concept is a joint effort of all the concerned disciplines to work in conjunction, and the capacity of a veterinarian today, to provide a substantial coordination in it cannot be ruled out.
Animal Research, Vaccine production, Lab animal trials and Diagnostics
Annals show that research involving animals has been a quintessential tool in investigating and providing successful therapeutics for the human survival during epidemics and pandemics since time immemorial. For instance, animal research was vital in the development and production of the smallpox vaccine which eventually led to its eradication in 1980. It must also be highlighted that animals are the first in line for evaluating the protective efficacy and safety of any new treatments, as evidenced by the case of COVID-19(14). Research on combating the resurging infectious diseases by developing efficacious therapeutics have signified the role of maintaining laboratory animal colonies for research and diagnostic efforts. This has been possible by the lab animal services being provided by specialized lab animal veterinarians both successfully and humanely (15).
Contemporarily, we have been facing constant restrains in neutralizing Covid-19 because of its perpetual viral mutation. At this juncture, vaccines against human coronaviruses are yet to prove their efficacy. On the other hand, vaccines against coronavirus infections in poultry, such as Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), have been used for decades and have been successful in controlling outbreaks. Here, veterinary scientists as well as medical virologists and immunologists may work in conjugation on an identical platform in isolating and identifying of viral strains, positioning of their genomes, identifying host susceptibility and contributing towards a better understanding of immunological response, resulting in a more efficacious vaccine for SARS-Co-2.
In today’s scenario, veterinary microbiologists, virologists and biotechnologists may as well shoulder the responsibility of an alternate approach for treating COVID-19 by introducing/ following the use of antibody therapy, in production of appropriate antibodies through antigen inoculation in lab animals. Clinical trials in veterinary institutions may be carried out with a goal to identify existing FDA approved drugs and repurpose them for the timely management in such emergencies.
Veterinary research laboratories have experience in quality assurance, biosafety and biosecurity. State veterinary labs are engaged routine serological testing for the surveillance and control of infectious diseases in animals. Upgradation of veterinary state labs can facilitate testing of human specimens in veterinary laboratories as a part of a coordinated government-led Public Health response. However, laboratories performing COVID-19 diagnostics should ensure they comply with standard operating procedures of human diagnostic labs. It would be prudent to mention here that some research institutions are already working in this direction(16,17).
Lab to Land and vice-versa-Extension work
Animal health care workers also act as extension workers, thereby assisting in educating the public on the threat of infectious and non-infectious diseases and associated risks(17). Transmission of appropriate scientific knowledge and awareness among the general public and livestock owners requires a practical and experienced proficiency of zoonotic diseases, risk perception as well as ability to communicate at a local level. Organization of small-scale interactions may help deduce conclusions on local epidemiology as well. However, the success of any disease control programme and therapeutic regime also depends on how well the knowledge or research work is communicated or disseminated from the lab or academic research institute to the practicing veterinarians. Promulgating scientific updates from lab to land is equally mandatory and falls on the concerned academic institutions. This will not only help animal health care workers in better understanding of the disease and current therapies, but also help in strengthening all aspects of public health, biosecurity and off course aid in providing a more elucidative line of treatment.
Similarly, land to lab communication including incorporation of ground realities, therapeutic trails, collection and analysis of field tissue or serological samples for formulation of effective diagnosis and treatment regimens would help in prevention of emerging and remerging diseases.
Conclusion
The above discussion boils us down to the fact that animal health care is basic building block in prevention of emerging zoonotic infections. This itself spells out the potential of veterinary science and veterinarian in the theory of One Health concept. The veterinary community ranging from researchers to practitioners have participated in fighting against SARS_Co-2 globally. The versatile and varied bit played by the veterinarian in covid crisis ranges from surveillance on ground to research and vaccine trials in labs, zoonosis and public health, extension and therapeutic management of clinical cases. Significant role of veterinarian in preserving food security, guiding through the current pandemic and simultaneously preventing or limiting any re-emergence of future pandemic is also of utmost relevance. The models of disease surveillance and efficacy check of treatments are best served when veterinarians approach collective health issues with a “herd health” perspective.
Despite all this, there is a vital requirement of collaborative, cross-disciplinary approaches to respond to emerging and resurging diseases, and in particular, for the inclusion of wildlife health, as an essential component of global disease prevention and surveillance. Veterinarians should persist to define the multifarious responsibilities of the profession and exercise a holistic approach towards animal health, wild life, protection of ecology as well as public health. The social role of a veterinarian lies much beyond the treatment and vaccination protocols of clinical cases.
Dr. Meenal Bharadwaj,
RD 4, Remount Training School and Depot, Dehradun Road, Saharanpur. 24001.
About the Author
The author of the article titled ‘’Veterinarian Response in Covid-19 Crisis”, is a graduate from GBPUA&T, Pantnagar veterinary college. The author completed her M.V.Sc in veterinary medicine in the year 1998 from Indian Institute of Veterinary Sciences, Izzatnagar. Ever since she has been working with the state veterinary department, government of Uttar Pradesh. Presently the author is posted as veterinary officer, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
The article written by the author includes her original ideas and experiences as a field veterinarian. The paper in its entirety could be navigated to a comprehensible conclusion with the aid of work of author filed specialists cited in the bibliography.
Email: meenalbharadwaj72@gmail.com
References
1)Sooksawasdi Na Ayudhya S, Kuiken T.(2021)Reverse Zoonosis of COVID-19: Lessons From the 2009 Influenza Pandemic. Veterinary Pathology;58(2):234-242. doi:10.1177/0300985820979843
2)COVID-19: A Multidisciplinary Review (2020) Sanjay, Stroberg Edana, Chams Nour, Chams Sana, Badran Reina, Shams Ali, Araji Abdallah, Raad Mohamad, Mukhopadhyay Duval Eric J., Barton Lisa M., Hajj Hussein Inaya,Frontiers in PublicHealth(8)383URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00383 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.00383
3) Wang,L. and Crameri, G., (2014). Emerging Zoonotic Viral Diseases. [ebook] Available at: <https://www.oie.int/doc/ged/d14089.pdf> [Accessed 18 April 2021].
4) Yoo HS, Yoo D. COVID-19 and veterinarians for one health, zoonotic- and reverse-zoonotic transmissions. J Vet Sci. 2020 May;21(3):e51. doi: 10.4142/jvs.2020.21.e51. PMID: 32476324; PMCID: PMC7263917
5)Kuldeep Dhama, Sharun Khan, Ruchi Tiwari, Shubhankar Sircar, Sudipta Bhat, Yashpal Singh Malik, Karam Pal Singh, Wanpen Chaicumpa, D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales (2020) Coronavirus Disease 2019–COVID-19 Clinical Microbiology Reviews ,33 (4) e00028-20; DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00028-20
