1 Aims and scope of Veterinary Public Health & Role of veterinarians in public health.pptx

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1. Veterinary public health

2. Veterinary Public Health - Aims, Scope, Veterinarians Role

3. Introduction According to WHO (1948) “ Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.   In contrary a state of altered structure and function of host’s tissues, organs and systems is known as disease .

4. Public Health The WHO Expert Committee on Public Health Administration (1952) has defined public health as “ the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health and efficiency through organized community efforts .” The section of human medicine that deals with individual patients (like chronic cough or tumor patient) where the medical practitioner carries out clinical examination and investigates to find out the cause of the disease and prescribe accordingly to alleviate the disease is known as general medicine .

5. Background of Veterinary Public Health  Passage of agents and vectors of animal diseases from animals to man through direct contact, foods or other environmental agencies The concept of Veterinary Public Health was evolved in the USA in late 1940s. WHO established a Veterinary Public Health unit in 1949 . In 1950 for the first time WHO and FAO expert group jointly formulated a definition as- “ Veterinary Public Health comprises all the community efforts influencing and influenced by the Veterinary-Medical arts and sciences applied to the prevention of diseases, protection of life and promotion of the well-being and efficiency of mankind.”  In 1955, again a joint FAO & WHO expert groups met together and discussed on the major problems in the region and thereafter in 1956 they made a wide accepted definition as- “ Veterinary Public Health is the field of activities which protects and advances the human well-being by utilizing the combined knowledge and resources of all those concerned with human and animal health and their interrelationships.”  FAO & WHO again jointly redefined it in 1975 as- ‘ Veterinary Public Health is a component of public health activities devoted to the application of professional veterinary skills, knowledges and resources to the protection and improvement of human health.”  Finally, in 1999 the joint WHO/FAO expert group defined Veterinary Public Health as- “The contribution to the complete physical, mental and social well-being of human through an understanding and application of veterinary medical sciences.”

6. Genesis of Veterinary Public Health in India In 1964 with the establishment of a Division of Zoonoses at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).

7. Definitions  Epidemiology : It is the branch of science that – deals with the study of distribution and determinations of diseases in a population and the application of the study to prevent and control the health related issues of the same population.  Milk Hygiene : It is defined as all the measures adopted in every aspects of milk production, transport, processing and distribution in order to make it safe and suitable to the consumers.  Meat Hygiene:  It is defined as all the measures adopted in every aspects of meat production, transport, processing and distribution in order to make it safe and suitable to the consumers.  Food Safety : Food safety can be defined as the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumers when it is prepared and or eaten according to its intended use.

8. Scopes of VPH / Domains of VPH  Zoonoses ( i) Diagnosis (ii) Surveillance (iii) Epidemiology (iv) Control (v) Prevention (vi) Elimination  Food Protection (mainly animal origin) – to protect the food from any kind of contamination.  Management of Health Aspects of Lab. Animals Facilities of Diagnostic Lab.  Biomedical Research  Health Education & Extension  Production and Control of Biological Products and Medical Devices.  Management of Domestic & Wild Animal Population.  Protection of Drinking Water and the Environment.  Management of Public Health Emergency (Flood, Earthquake, Disease Outbreaks etc.).

9. Functions of Qualified Public Health Veterinarians  A joint FAO & WHO expert committee on Veterinary Public Health (1975) has categorized the principal functions of Veterinarians as: 

10. (i) Animal related functions It includes   ( a) The human health aspects of production, processing and marketing of foods of animal origin.  (b) Health related problems of other animal industries including safe disposal of animal wastes.  (c) Zoonoses , their diagnosis, surveillance and control  (d) Technical consultations on human health matters related to animals and their diseases.  (e) Investigations of the dangers to man posed by biting, toxic, venomous and other hazardous or objectionable animals.  (f) Supervision of experimental animal colonies maintained by Public Health Lab.  (g) Comparative studies on the epidemiology of noninfectious diseases in animals and man influenced by environmental and other influences.  (h) Interchange of research information b/w Veterinary Scientist and human health experts with a view to augment community health. 

11. (ii) Biomedical functions It includes  ( a) Epidemiology  (b) Health Lab Services  (c) General environmental health, including radiological health and environmental physiology.  (d) Protection of foods.  (e) Production and control of biological products  (f) Drug evaluation and control.  (g) Most aspects of Public Health research, including research in reproductive physiology and fertility control. 

12. (iii) Generalist Functions Beyond the above-mentioned potential areas of responsibility in public health, the Public Health Veterinarians can also serve in general Public Health as administrator, planners and coordinators.

13. Veterinary Public Health Administration in India  

14. (i) Central Government Bodies  The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture formulated a National Committee on Zoonoses in 1978 (NCZ), Joint Monitoring Group on Avian Influenza in 2004 and a National Influenza Pandemic Committee for the prevention and control of Avian Influenza in 2005 Mizorum , which formed a State level ‘Standing committee on Zoonoses ’ Goa, which has a stated mandate on Public Health. State laboratories for disease diagnosis issue animal health certificate for Food Export purposes, certifying that certain categories of food items or ingredients are fit for human consumption. Some laboratories of ICAR and State Agricultural or Veterinary Universities occasionally serve the same purpose. 

15. (iii) Veterinary Public Health activities at Municipal Level  Meat inspection in the slaughter houses Stray dog population control, chiefly for rabies control. Animal Birth Control (ABC) Program.  (IV) ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND NGOS IN VPH ACTIVITIES 

16. (v) International Organizations  WHO :( South East Asian Regional Office, New Delhi) SEARO FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) of United Nations, New Delhi. Gujrat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF), ‘AMUL’ ( Anand Milk Union Limited) other cooperative societies in various Indian states

17. (vii) Personalities  Dr . C. M. Singh, Director of IVRI and Advisor to WHO Dr . Celvin W. Schwabe , Prof. of Epidemiology (School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis) and WHO consultant. Dr . Cohen, James H Steele, Assistant Surgeon General of the United States Public Health and WHO Consultant