Continuing Education with One Health Focus: World Veterinary Day 2016

Livestock sector contributes enormously in the economies of the developed or the developing countries. Livestock and the personnel related to veterinary sciences be it veterinarians, livestock attendants, livestock assistants, livestock handlers or stockmen play an integral part in bringing forth the very improvements and developments in the livestock sector and hence in the country as a whole. The contributions made by every single human being related to livestock sector and livestock itself make a nation and its economy stronger and stable.

World Veterinary Day is celebrated every year on the last Saturday of April. This year the day is being celebrated globally on 30 April 2016. The theme for this year’s celebration is  “Continuing Education with One Health Focus” and the concept of ‘one health’ is being propagated throughout the world.

By one health we mean that there is no distinction in the health aspects of the humans and the animals and health of one is depended on the other. Today humans depend upon animals and their products for satisfying their daily dietary needs. And so. by preventing diseases and maintaining the health of the animals, we can maintain the health of the human beings.

Looking at the other aspect of the same thought, we will find that the health of the animals also depends upon the health of humans. Humans carry many zoonotic diseases which can be transmitted to animals (one important being Tuberculosis). As such, we have to look both ways for maintaining the health of the humans and animals. The recent concerns which we face are the risk of zoonotic diseases i.e diseases which are transmitted to humans from animals and vice versa. The mission of ‘one health’ shares a major impetus on this concern. Most of the research in the Veterinary Public Health Departments is going on the prevention of such diseases.

It has been well said “Prevention is better than cure”, therefore, the medics and the veterinarians have to work as a joint team for maintaining the health of animals and humans as it is interdependent. The researchers and the scientists on the other hand have to come up with novel methods of prevention of diseases and hence maintenance of health. In the food production chain, the prevention of pathogens becomes extremely important as majority of the population depends upon animal proteins and fats in their daily dietary requirements. Be it vegetarians or non-vegetarians, humans require animals for fulfilling their dietary demands. Thus the food processing and food safety becomes a very vital area of concern for maintain health. Adoption of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) System in the manufacturing and processing of animal products had been found very useful in maintenance of one health. 

The young brigade whether its veterinary or medical students or be it young farmers or young entrepreneurs can make the production process and health regimes both for livestock and humans more stringent and effective. The young researchers can come out with more useful ideas of maintaining more healthy livestock for healthy human population by reducing the epidemics and disease issues. The need of the hour is to educate our students more about one health,that is vet students and medical students for the betterment of our society. I believe, young students can prove as a key in bringing a change in society and by their help, we can reduce the load of disease causing pathogens from our food chains and also from our environment.

I wish every individual on our planet, a very happy and healthy World Veterinary Day.