Introduction
The health of human beings is tied to the health of animals, both domestic and wild, in many ways. Certain diseases (called zoonoses) can be transmitted by direct or indirect means between man and other animals. Infections and parasitic diseases of livestock may kill the animals outright, may necessitate their destruction, or may reduce the survivors' production of meat or milk, all of which can in turn reduce the food supply available to humans. Such disease are also an obstacle to international trade, as well as a serious financial drain on livestock owners, and more generally, on the economy of a community or country - an impact which may have broad repercussions for health in a society.
When the WHO Constitution, adopted in 1946, declared that "health is a state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity" it was recognized that the problem of zoonoses and food hygiene, veterinary
public health was to be included as one of WHO's Programs. Veterinary public health, according to the WHO definition, "is a component of public health activities devoted to the application of professional veterinary skills, knowledge, and resources to the protection and improvement of human health."
In 1951, at the request of its Member States, PAHO launched its activities in veterinary pubic health simultaneously with the creation of the Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Center (PANAFTOSA) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was followed by the creation of the Pan American Zoonoses Center (CEPANZO) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1956. CEPANZO was disestablished 30 April 1990, and the Pan American Institute for Food Protection and Zoonoses (INPPAZ) was created in Buenos Aires on 15 November 1991.
Over the years, veterinary public health as a component of public health has developed steadily, responding to the needs in health and production, thus ensuring the social and economic development of the population, especially in the Region of the Americas. Veterinary public health takes the multiple functions of the sciences and veterinary medicine, articulating and translating them into concerted action to foster human well-being and development.
Mission
The PAHO/WHO Veterinary Public Health Program aims to support the national priority programs of the Member Governments in:
- the promotion of animal health, with a view to increasing production and productivity to ensure sufficient quantities of animal protein for human nutrition and for the socioeconomic development of producing countries with export potential.
- the protection of food for human consumption to guarantee its safety and nutritional quality and prevent the transmission of disease agents through this medium;
- the surveillance, prevention, and control of zoonoses and communicable disease common to man and animals that cause widespread morbidity, disability, and mortality in vulnerable human populations;
- the promotion of environmental protection in regard to the potential risks to public health stemming from the possession of productive animals and pets, the presence of harmful fauna and synathropic animals in the cities, the industrialization of livestock production, the exploitation of nontraditional species, and the protection of flora and fauna;
- the development of biomedical models promoting the developoment of in vitro models and the conservation and reporduction of animals pecies and their rational use in the developoment of the biomedical sciences.
The Veterinary Public Health Program delievers technical cooperation within the framework of the Strategic Orientations and Program Priorities for PAHO in support of national health needs and plans. The focus of the Program is mainly on the mandates from the Governing Bodies of the Organization, namely:
- Elimination of Urban Rabies in the Americas
- The Medium-term Technical Cooperation Program for Food Protection
- Eradication of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in the Americas
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