Veterinary hygiene and public health
Finally to return to the direct responsibilities of the veterinarian, the subject of veterinary hygiene should be addressed. Some of the major contagious animal diseases have important economic consequences and must be eliminated from a population at almost any price, one example being foot-and-mouth disease that affects many ungulate species. There are other animal diseases, such as anthrax, that are important because they cause disease in man even though they are not important animal pathogens.

With the tremendous increase in international trade and travel, the risks of disease are no longer restricted to states or even continents. Air travel enables transportation around the globe within 24 hours. The more enterprising tourists travel increasingly to remote areas which may harbour species that provide a disease reservoir, particularly those diseases with a sub-clinical carrier state in wild fauna. It is quite possible that a veterinarian will be the first person confronted with an animal infected with an agent that is of great threat either to other animals (population) or to human (public) health. There is, of course, a legal obligation to report suspicious cases to the authorities, however, drastic measures are likely to follow and so should be anticipated beforehand. It would be quite impossible to 'explain away' reports of a suspected case of disease that subsequently results in negative findings. If this were to happen, substantial damage would be inflicted upon the owner of the animals, not only economic but also social and emotional. Recent outbreaks of classical swine fever and isolated cases of BSE have not only demonstrated how animal products may be boycotted by consumers, leading to a drastic fall in their market value, but also how difficult it is for farmers to cope with the isolation of their farms or destruction of their livestock. And it is not only the farmers who are affected in these cases; there will be many businesses with direct economic links to the farms which will also suffer. Thus, the consulting veterinarian is in a very awkward position and must decide exactly what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Of course, there is no dilemma the moment a case becomes confirmed by strong evidence or an established diagnosis. However, it is the initial decision of whether to submit samples for analysis or to report the case to the authorities that is most difficult, knowing that there might be substantial damage caused by a misinterpretation either way.

Below is a list summarising the factors that play a role in the ethical evaluation of policies and actions on suspected cases of animal diseases:

• Animals' interests:

  • incidental - the benefits of clinical treatment versus destruction

  • structural - the absence of epidemic diseases in the population

• Owners' interests:

  • short-term - the risk of drastic animal hygiene precautions and the loss of autonomy on decisions made about the animals. In most instances, direct economic loss is fully or partially compensated

  • long-term - the absence of economically important animal diseases within the population to which the animals belong

• Veterinarians' interests:

  • consideration for the health and wellbeing of animals

  • relationship with the client

  • responsibility towards public health

  • responsibility towards economic value of a product, such as beef

• Interests of an animal population:

  • absence of animal diseases that might become epidemic and jeopardise the continuity of the population

• Public health interests:

  • risks to workers or consumers

  • availability of nutritious and safe foodstuffs at a reasonable cost.

• Economic interests:

  • availability of animal products at a reasonable cost continuity of business for primary producers and related businesses

Read more...

home | editorial | news | reviews | education | tools | policies | archives | about vst