Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
The contribution of veterinary medicine to public health and poverty reduction in developing countries.
- Journal:
- Veterinaria italiana
- Year:
- 2014
- Authors:
- Muma, John B et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Disease Control
Plain-English summary
This study looks at how veterinary medicine can help improve human health and reduce poverty in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. It discusses five main areas where veterinarians can make a difference: increasing food production, ensuring food safety, controlling diseases that can spread from animals to humans, promoting ecotourism, and protecting the environment. The authors suggest that by working together with other professions, veterinarians can better connect animal health with human health and economic well-being. They believe that veterinary science has a unique opportunity to play an important role in these efforts, especially if the profession adapts its goals and collaborates more with others. Overall, the study concludes that veterinary medicine can significantly contribute to both health improvement and poverty reduction.
Abstract
Few studies have explicitly examined the linkages between human health, animal disease control and poverty alleviation. This paper reviews the contribution that veterinary medicine can make to poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa. Our analysis attempts to explore aspects of this contribution under five themes: food production; food safety; impact and control of zoonotic infections; promotion of ecotourism; and environmental protection. While these areas of human activity have, more or less, fallen under the influence of the veterinary profession to varying degrees, we attempt to unify this mandate using a 'One Health' narrative, for the purpose of providing clarity on the linkages between the veterinary and other professions, livestock production and poverty alleviation. Future opportunities for improving health and reducing poverty in the context of developing African countries are also discussed. We conclude that veterinary science is uniquely positioned to play a key role in both poverty reduction and the promotion of health, a role that can be enhanced through the reorientation of the profession's goals and the creation of synergies with allied and related professions.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24981913/