Humanity faces many challenges that require global solutions. The increasingly crowded nature of our planet – on which man and animals live in increasingly close proximity – has enhanced the ability of zoonotic diseases to jump between species. And with today’s evolving ecosystems, trade globalization, increasing urbanization and an ever-expanding population, diseases can spread as never before.

The global pandemic has demonstrated to the entire world that trying to solve today’s issues and preparing for those arising tomorrow cannot be accomplished with yesterday's approaches. This is why the animal health industry has been a long-term supporter of ‘One Health’, a concept raised centuries ago by Hippocrates and reaffirmed in the 1800s by Dr. Rudolf Virchow, which highlights the need for a joined-up approach to tackling health-related issues.

Prior to COVID-19, outbreaks of Ebola, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and avian influenza served as a key reminder that human and animal health are intimately connected. In fact, it has long been noted that around 60% of known human infectious diseases have their source in animals. With around 72% of these stemming from wildlife.

Today’s farmers not only have to take care of the health of their animals however. They have to deal with the impacts of climate change while trying to mitigate impacts on the environment. They have to respond to increased demands for sustainable livestock farming while improving animal welfare. At the same time, farmers together with veterinarians, are facing never-before-seen animal diseases in Europe like Lumpy Skin Disease and African Swine Fever and are also having to play their part in addressing the rise of antimicrobial resistance. All these challenges mean one thing: we must do more to prevent diseases in animals from the outset.

Better animal health plays a key role in protecting our collective health in a number of ways:

PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH

From a public health and food safety perspective, rules in place in the EU for ensuring good animal health alongside strict food chain inspections have meant that the EU is recognized as having the highest standards for food safety in the world and the lowest levels of food-borne illness.

The use of vaccines in poultry to protect against salmonella for example, along with other management measures, saw human cases of salmonella reduced by almost 50% in the EU since 2004. And the prevalence of salmonella in poultry has decreased significantly during this time.

Innovation in preventive veterinary medicines, the widespread use of vaccines and the development of vaccine banks are playing an increasingly important role, not just from a food safety perspective but also in combatting infectious diseases on a global level that can pass between people and animals. Other animal health tools such as ectoparasiticides also play an important role in helping to control insects, such as ticks and mosquitoes, that spread some of these infectious diseases, protecting both animal and human populations at the same time.

PROTECTING OUR PLANET

When farmers take a holistic approach to safeguarding the health of the animals in their care, this makes for good farm management, ensuring healthier herds and helping to make food production more efficient and sustainable while reducing food losses at source. The OIE estimates that on average 20% of production losses worldwide can be attributed to animal diseases. Not only is this a loss of milk, meat, fish and eggs, but it also means the natural resources such as the feed and water dedicated to raising those animals effectively goes to waste.

Working together, industry and authorities can prevent such losses and inefficiencies by responding rapidly to halt or slow transmission of existing and newly emerging diseases. One such example would be Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle which was recently halted in south-east Europe, largely thanks to a regional vaccination program.

Vaccination of animals alongside increased biosecurity measures – on-farm hygiene and regular disinfection; quarantine periods for new animals; disinfection of farm visitors and provision of protective clothing and footwear; and keeping other domestic and wildlife animals away from feed bins, pasture and water sources – form part of animal health management plans and are essential for more sustainable farming practices. In fact, the FAO estimates that improving animal management practices on farms can help to reduce livestock emissions by around 30% and help protect the environment and biodiversity.

PROTECTING OUR ECONOMY

From a food security and affordability perspective, better animal health care has been helping to support the agri-food economy. For example, vaccination against circovirus in pigs saw a dramatic reduction in deaths and therefore farm losses. And medical advances over the years have meant that one single vaccine injection can incorporate more than one disease or disease strain to provide combined protection against several strains of micro-organisms or several diseases.

Use of modern animal health technologies also make it easier to control and eradicate disease without having to slaughter healthy animals, by making it possible to differentiate vaccinated animals from infected animals.

Solutions for the prevention and treatment of mastitis have ensured better welfare for dairy cows and a more efficient production of high-quality milk. And highly effective parasite controls have also helped farmers to combat the huge economic losses that can be caused by worm infections. This also helps the food processing industry to reduce the cost of rejects, unacceptable for human consumption. These solutions for improving animal health are contributing to a more sustainable food production while supporting affordability.

BETTER ANIMAL HEALTH, BETTER COOPERATION FOR ONE HEALTH

The One Health concept has been operative in animal health innovations for decades, but there remains a clear need for further understanding and appreciation of what this means amongst the medical profession and the general public. With ever more people working in either the animal or public health sectors adopting a One Health mindset, there is greater opportunity to adequately address the challenges occurring at the interface between humans, animals and ecosystems.

Protecting animal health is an important step to addressing the challenges and it is a step that deserves greater attention. Like the millions of animals who benefit from veterinary care, the role played by the animal health sector in society is often overlooked, yet its impact over the years has been truly revolutionary. We are living in a time of ‘One World, One Health’ and we must come together to devise innovative, forward-looking and multisectoral solutions to the challenges we face now and in the future.