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|linkpage = Veterinary Public Health|linktext = Veterinary Public Health

|linkpage = Veterinary Public Health|linktext = Veterinary Public Health

|pagetype = VPH

|pagetype = VPH

 

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What is Veterinary Public Health?

What is Veterinary Public Health?

The field of '''Public Health''' concerns the management of human health at the community level. This contrasts to other aspects of medicine where treatment is frequently focussed on the individual. Public Health often involves methods of disease prevention (e.g. vaccination, sanitation, etc.).

The field of '''[[Public Health]]''' concerns the management of human health at the community level. This contrasts to other aspects of medicine where treatment is frequently focussed on the individual. Public Health often involves methods of disease prevention (e.g. vaccination, sanitation, etc.).

Veterinary Public Health concerns all areas of Public Health that can be protected or improved by Veterinary Medicine. See [http://www.who.int/zoonoses/vph/en WHO-VPH]

Veterinary Public Health concerns all areas of Public Health that can be protected or improved by Veterinary Medicine. See [http://www.who.int/zoonoses/vph/en WHO-VPH]

The picture in developed & developing countries may be quite different as far as zoonoses are concerned. In developed countries the consumer has very little contact with the live animal, limiting transmission from live animals to the general public. In addition food safety is extremely regulated. Despite this food borne disease is still a big problem in developed countries. In the EU in 2006, a total of 175,561 confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis were reported from 21 Member States and reported cases will only represent the tip of the iceberg (see [http://www.efsa.eu.int/EFSA/DocumentSet/Zoon_report_2006_summary_en.pdf?ssbinary=true - The EFSA Journal (2007) 130-Main conclusions on the Community Summary Report on Zoonoses 2006]).

The picture in developed & developing countries may be quite different as far as zoonoses are concerned. In developed countries the consumer has very little contact with the live animal, limiting transmission from live animals to the general public. In addition food safety is extremely regulated. Despite this food borne disease is still a big problem in developed countries. In the EU in 2006, a total of 175,561 confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis were reported from 21 Member States and reported cases will only represent the tip of the iceberg (see [http://www.efsa.eu.int/EFSA/DocumentSet/Zoon_report_2006_summary_en.pdf?ssbinary=true - The EFSA Journal (2007) 130-Main conclusions on the Community Summary Report on Zoonoses 2006]).

Veterinary Public Health concerns the [[Surveillance - WikiVPH|Surveillance]] & control of zoonoses at many different levels be it via disease control programmes at farm level or wild animals or in the abattoir.

Veterinary Public Health concerns the [[Surveillance]] & control of zoonoses at many different levels be it via disease control programmes at farm level or wild animals or in the abattoir.

See the [[Food Safety - WikiVPH| Food Safety]] section & the section [[Non Food derived Zoonoses - WikiVPH|Non Food derived Zoonoses]].

See the [[Food Safety | Food Safety]] section & the section [[Non Food derived Zoonoses]].

==Environmental contamination==

==Environmental contamination==

In addition practicing vets will also produce potential environmental contaminants in the form of used needles, syringes, animal tissue & other clinical waste.

In addition practicing vets will also produce potential environmental contaminants in the form of used needles, syringes, animal tissue & other clinical waste.

All of these materials have to be dealt with in a safe & controlled way. See the Section [[Environmental Contamination - WikiVPH| Environmental Contamination]].

All of these materials have to be dealt with in a safe & controlled way. See the Section [[Environmental Contamination]].

==The role of animals in society==

==The role of animals in society==

This aspect of Veterinary Public Heath deals with a number of ethical issues. Welfare of animals is an ever present issue regardless of the setting, whether it concerns pet animals, production animals or wild animals.

This aspect of Veterinary Public Heath deals with a number of ethical issues. Welfare of animals is an ever present issue regardless of the setting, whether it concerns pet animals, production animals or wild animals.

Where the line that defines acceptable & unacceptable welfare conditions lies is different for different individuals from different countries & cultures, however, it is common for minimum welfare standards to be defined in legislation (see [[Legislation - WikiVPH|Legislation]]).

Where the line that defines acceptable & unacceptable welfare conditions lies is different for different individuals from different countries & cultures, however, it is common for minimum welfare standards to be defined in legislation (see [[Legislation]]).

Other issues may concern the use of animals in science, not just for experimentation, but the use of transgenic animals (an animals who has had its genome deliberately altered by genetic engineering techniques as opposed to selective breeding) & xenotransplantation (the transplantation of organs or tissues from one species to another) or the emergence of resistance to antimicrobial drugs due to their use in animals (see [[Antimicrobial Resistance - WikiVPH| Antimicrobial Resistance]]).

Other issues may concern the use of animals in science, not just for experimentation, but the use of transgenic animals (an animals who has had its genome deliberately altered by genetic engineering techniques as opposed to selective breeding) & xenotransplantation (the transplantation of organs or tissues from one species to another) or the emergence of resistance to antimicrobial drugs due to their use in animals (see [[Antimicrobial Resistance]]).