Washington, DC, January 17, 2002 - A few years ago the term "veterinary public health" might not have meant

People need animals for food, social and economic development, and companionship. At the same time, animals can be vectors for the transmission of fatal diseases.

To preserve the beneficial relationship between people and animals and reduce public health risks, the Pan American Health Organization's Veterinary Public Health Program provides direct support to the national programs of member countries in several key areas. These include zoonoses (diseases transmitted by animals to humans), food protection, education in veterinary public health, biomedical models for the development of human drugs and vaccines, organization of veterinary public health services, and the eradication of foot-and-mouth disease.

"We can, without doubt, cite a great deal of progress and success, as well as many plans for the near future," said Dr. Albino Belotto, coordinator of the PAHO Veterinary Public Health Program. "However, our greatest achievement is the spirit of cooperation between the countries of the Region, and the participation of the private sector and the community in general, which have joined forces in the struggle to eradicate disease."

One example of such joint efforts is the control of foot-and-mouth disease in South America. (Historically, North and Central America and the Caribbean have been free of the disease.)

"Coordinated actions have permitted steady advances in the control and eradication of the disease, drawing on the scientific and technical capacity in the countries of the area, the active participation of producers, and the cooperation of the responsible international agencies in this area, such as PAHO's PANAFTOSA [Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Center]," said Dr. Belotto.

Foot-and-mouth disease, introduced to the Americas through animals brought from Europe, can cause major economic losses and impedes trade among the region's countries, in addition to decreasing the availability of food, especially meat and milk. PAHO is helping member countries to develop and implement the Hemispheric Plan for the Eradication of Foot-and-Mouth Disease, whose goal is to eliminate the disease from the Americas by the year 2007.

Progress has also been made in preventing animal-to-human transmission of other diseases. "One of the greatest achievements in the past few years has been the elimination of human rabies transmitted by dogs in our capital cities," noted Dr. Belotto. "One of our principal short-term projects is to consolidate the elimination of this type of rabies in the Region."

The incidence of human rabies in the Americas has declined significantly in recent years. In 2000, no cases of the disease were reported in 19 of the 21 capital cities of Latin America, and the total number of cases regionwide decreased from 280 in 1990 to fewer than 50 in 2001. More than 30 million dogs are vaccinated against rabies each year in the Americas, and nearly 600,000 people bitten by animals receive specialized treatment though the public health system to prevent the disease.

A major emphasis of PAHO's Program on Veterinary Public Health has been to foster collaboration between the health and agricultural sectors. "Last year, for the first time, we officially brought together ministers of health and agriculture for RIMSA [the Inter-American Meeting, at the Ministerial Level, on Health and Agriculture]," said Dr. Belotto. "This is the only meeting of its kind in the world."

Other strategic goals of the PAHO Veterinary Public Health Program include consolidating technical cooperation in the areas of food protection, surveillance and prevention of emerging zoonoses, and the eradication of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.

To encourage further work and research in veterinary public health, PAHO has instituted the Pedro Acha Award for Veterinary Health, awarded annually to students of veterinary medicine and animal sciences in Latin America and the Caribbean. Dr. Acha, a prominent international expert in this area, served for many years in PAHO's Veterinary Public Health Program.

"Pedro Acha helped develop a new perspective in veterinary medicine by conceptualizing new links between the health and agriculture sectors while addressing economic and social aspects to improve the quality of life and health of all the peoples of the Americas," said Dr. Belotto.

The program, part of PAHO's Division of Disease Prevention and Control, is supported by 20 institutions formally designated as World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centers in the Americas. Of these centers, five are devoted to zoonoses, seven to food protection, three to training in veterinary public health, two to the design of biomedical models, and three to the strengthening of veterinary public health services.

PAHO, which serves as WHO's Regional Office for the Americas, was officially established in 1902 and is today the world's oldest international health organization. It works with all the countries of the Americas to improve health and quality of life.

Related Information:
PAHO BOOK: Zoonoses and Communicable Diseases Common to Man and Animals, 3rd edition. Vol. I Bacterioses and Mycoses