Skip to main content

Towards One Health: Increasing Awareness of Animal Health Among Public Health Stakeholders

Description

The recent focus on the 'One Medicine' concept has resulted in an increased awareness that the control of diseases in animal populations, whether zoonotic or not, can be of great public health importance. Zoonotic and foodborne diseases represent an immediate threat to the health of human populations, while rapid spreading diseases in animals can compromise the food-supply and the economy of a country or region. On the other hand, animal populations can serve as sentinels, and continued surveillance can prevent the emergence and/or rapid spread of pathogens potentially harmful to humans. However, awareness of the activities developed in the field of animal health is still low among public health workers. To date, the cooperation between public health and animal health epidemiologists has mainly involved the control of outbreaks of foodborne diseases. Greater cooperation between the two fields, however, could improve prevention and reduce the number of such outbreaks.

Objective

To discuss opportunities to improve the synergy between animal and public health and increase awareness, among public health workers, of the concept of animal health.

Submitted by elamb on