Return to Table of Contents: WVA Bulletin Vol 14 No 2 June 1997
Contribution of the
Veterinary Services to Economic Development and Protection of Human Health
Historical Aspects -
Professor, MVDr V. Kouba, PhD, DrSc, Professor of Epizootiology, Brno
University of Veterinary Medicine, Czech Republic.
Lecture presented at the WAHVM (World Association for
the History of Veterinary Medicine) Congress 1996, Vienna, Austria.
Veterinary services are the main tools for
into-practice- transfer of veterinary philosophy and ideas, results of
veterinary sciences, proposed methodologies, animal health programmes as well
as knowledge gained by education and training. The level of practical impact on
the health of animal and human populations is the key criterion for the
evaluation of veterinary medicine contribution to social, economic and public
health development.
Main functions
Within the society the main functions of veterinary
services as its integral component are to contribute to the production of food
of animal origin and to the protection of human health against diseases
transmissible from animals.
A decisive factor of veterinary services is
professional manpower. The territorial distribution is about 600,000
veterinarians in the world, see Table 1. If we add the number of animal health
assistants then the »veterinary family« reaches about one million members.
Structure of their employment can be seen in Graph 1.
Theoretical »workload« can be expressed by average
numbers of domestic animals per one veterinarian. If we take 1990 global data,
then we could count the following numbers: 2,187 cattle, 385 dairy cows, 235
buffaloes, 103 horses, 2,055 sheep, 992 goats, 1,447 pigs, 18,204 chickens,
etc. per veterinarian. Average number of inhabitants per veterinarian was 8,933
(5,081 in rural areas and 3,852 in urban areas). Average territory per
veterinarian was 22,112 ha (2,422 ha of arable land and 5,498 ha of pastures).
It is obvious that in each country these averages differ very much according to
local conditions and type of veterinary employment and responsibility.
There were and still are developing countries having
huge territories with enormous number of domestic animals but only few
veterinarians (often being short of necessary facilities, equipment, drugs,
transport, funds, etc.).
Veterinary services
The impact of veterinary service activities has been
considerable. Prevention and animal disease reduction, elimination and
eradication at population (territory) levels have made possible:
·
reduction and/or
elimination of risk of zoonoses and incidence in human populations
·
improved indicator
values for animal production and reproduction
·
increased production
of food of animal origin
·
increased quality of
food of animal origin
·
cost/effective
livestock husbandry development
·
improved and
uninterrupted production of animal population, reproduction processes and other
performances
·
increased
concentration of animals in space and volume
·
reduced input in breeding
and production
·
introduction of modern
technology in livestock husbandry and food processing industry intensifying
production output
·
significant expansion
of national and international trade in animals and their products
·
increased income and
economic stability of farms and households, i.e. increased standard of living
in rural areas.
The improvement of the health of the animal
population as basic precondition for the development of livestock husbandry has
contributed to the development of agriculture and thus to general economic and
social development in the world.
Professor MVDr Vaclav Kouba, PhD, DrSc., born in
Czech Republic in 1929, graduated in 1953 at Brno University of Veterinary
Medicine. Formerly: Chief, Animal Health Service, Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome; Veterinary Public Health
Expert, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva;
Veterinary services
play a key role in protecting the health of all animal populations of
importance. If we consider also the co-responsibility for sanitary innocuous
animal products, then we can imagine the enormous value which we have to take
care of in the interest of humanity.
The major impact of veterinary services, i.e. the
effect of the protection of specific diseases free herds, flocks, populations
and territories is difficult to quantify in biological, monetary or public
health measure units. This »daily bread« of veterinary services is very often
underestimated and not properly appreciated by others. Preventive measures
impact protecting specific diseases free countries avoided enormous losses
which would had followed disease introduction. This can be documented by
examples of millions of dead animals due to deadly diseases such as rinderpest,
foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, hog cholera, Newcastle disease,
myxomatosis, etc. in affected territories.
Millions of humans have been protected against
zoonotic diseases by the activities of veterinary services reducing and
eliminating these diseases in animal populations.
The question is how to measure this impact, the
benefit of the prevention of the animal population and the reduction of
diseases where veterinary services play a decisive role as initiators,
professional executors and managers? What is the proportion of merit of
veterinary services for this positive impact?
Other problems of the animal health programme impact
evaluation is the delay of critical point when cost/benefit is equal (1:1).
The first period of the programmes costs more than
benefit the value. Therefore, the evaluation should be based upon cumulative
effect after reaching the reduction or eradication of specific disease.
Unfortunately, there are relatively few historical
data enabling us to evaluate the animal production in the whole world and thus
to try to assess veterinary services, their participation and merits.
Main animal production data
Systematical collection of the main animal production
data started in 1961 publishing them in FAO Production Yearbook, see Table 2.
Global data on zoonoses in human population are still fragmental. More detailed
production and public health data at national and local levels provide better
basis for impact evaluation when correlating them with the results of
veterinary services programmes. It is relatively easier to evaluate the effect
of reduction of specific diseases or eradication programmes limited by time and
space.
From thousands of examples of success stories, the
majority of which wait for their adequate appreciation, I would like to mention
some: The most feared killing disease - rinderpest (e.g. in the 18th century it
killed allegedly 200 million heads of cattle) is to-day close to its global
elimination.
Excellent results were achieved also against one of
the main obstacles in trade and livestock husbandry development and production
- foot-and-mouth disease which in 1950 spread over almost the whole territory
of Europe, South America, Asia and Africa. Europe and majority of other
formerly affected continents has reached FMD-free status. Other examples of
very successful programmes contributing to economic development and protection
of human health is the eradication of the New World screwworm (Cochlyomyia
hominivorax) in North and Central America as well as recently in Northern
Africa (3 years after its introduction).
In 1964 a huge wave of foot-and-mouth disease
penetrating in Mongolia through the Gobi desert was blocked and liquidated with
the help of international expeditions saving country livestock - the most
important economic sector.
In the Czech Republic the elimination of bovine
tuberculosis in 1968 represented a key boost for doubling meat and milk
production achieving animal food production self- sufficiency; eradication of
widely spread bovine brucellosis in 1964 avoided new cases in human population.
International organizations
Not only national veterinary services but also
international organizations such as FAO, OIE and WHO have decisively
contributed to the economic development and protection of human health in the
world.
Main sources of major historically important
international
data on veterinary services and animal diseases are:
FAO-OIE- WHO Animal Health Yearbook, OIE World Animal Health (Yearbook)
and HANDISTATus software package containing data of
both yearbooks.
Historical data
Serious problems are with the collection, processing
and storing of historical data from the veterinary services, such as:
Incomplete coverage of the history of less developed countries; incomplete
coverage of the history of field veterinary services staff and institutions;
lack of national and international veterinary services archives; etc.
Several preconditions are needed for the significant
improvement and availability of historically important records on veterinary
services such as:
·
compatible information
systems at all levels, i.e from local to global - collecting reliable data
(facilitating comparative studies in time and space);
·
standard international
definitions of basic terms and measurements;
·
standardization of
diagnostic methods (including uniform interpretation of the results);
·
integrated systems of
quantitative and qualitative, absolute and relative indicators;
·
avoiding frequent
changes of information systems, indicators and codes maintaining relative
stability within periods between regular revisions;
·
avoiding incomplete
reporting and data missing (to assure full coverage in time and space for
enabling trends forecasting);
·
avoiding loosing
historically important documents (.e.g. during reorganizations)
·
publishing
periodically statistical summaries (in form of yearbooks, multi-annual
documents, information software, etc.), complex analyses of major programmes
and their results (in form of reports, summary articles, monographs, etc.)
·
using adequate
methodology for veterinary services impact evaluation, etc.
·
involvement of
veterinary services management (Chief Veterinary Officers, etc.), Deans of
Veterinary Faculties, relevant international organizations, professional
centres and associations.
The history
History of veterinary medicine representing
continuous systematic records of important events and studies, aggregates and
reconstructs past events. Among the objects of professional attention the
priority should be given to the history of veterinary services. The scope
should involve: Veterinary services of all countries, levels and components,
their philosophy, concepts, systems, structure and strategies; methods and
programmes; field, laboratory and slaughterhouse activities and results;
legislation, education (undergraduate, postgraduate), research, organization,
management and economics (e.g., input/output - cost/benefit) etc. Social,
economic and technological environment should always be considered. In other
words, we should try to deal with veterinary services history in full
»coverage«, i.e. in time, space and levels amending gradually today's
fragmental coverage (dedicated mainly to individual top level professionals and
veterinary medicine in developed countries). Every day life of all veterinary
services should become a matter of historical interest.
Similarly the history of the health of animal
populations and development of specific diseases, history of diagnostic/control
methods and measures and their effectiveness call for being included in the
targets of historical veterinary medicine science.
The 20th century has been the most important and
successful period of veterinary medical science and practice in the whole
history. The threshold of the 3th millennium and the 21st century is an ideal
chance for starting a new era also in the field of the history of veterinary
medicine. Today's generation of veterinarians should try to leave for the
future a »clean table« as far as the history of the 20th century and of the
second millennium is concerned. The year 2000 waits behind the door and the
World Veterinary Association is the right international body to address the
whole »veterinary family« of the world.
|
»Learning from the past can contribute to increase
the veterinary services impact on the development of social, economic and
public health in the future. This will help to »sell« the results of the
veterinary services and thus to increase the prestige and position within the
society. Particularly, the records on success stories will give future
generations of veterinarians a higher appreciation of the history of
veterinary services«. Photo: Hnerik Lund/Lund & Birch av. |
Historical studies facilitate identifying the trends
and forecasting future development. Learning from the past can contribute to
increase the veterinary services impact on the development of social, economic
and public health in the future. This will help to »sell« the results of the
veterinary services and thus to increase the prestige and position within the
society. Particularly, the records on success stories will give future
generations of veterinarians a higher appreciation of the history of veterinary
services. The history stimulates pride in achievements of previous generations.
Many of the history records are and will be of great importance giving a good
insight into the character of veterinary services, ideas, work, conditions and
results.
Suggestions
I would like to present for consideration several
suggestions for gradually strengthening and extending the role of the history
of veterinary medicine (according to available inputs respecting importance and
priorities):
·
to enlarge the scope
covering all the world, all the levels (international, national and local) and
all the fields of the sciences of veterinary medicine and practice and thus to
fill the gaps in today's veterinary historical science; in other words the
history of veterinary services to be the history of all veterinarians and their
supporting staff in the world;
·
to establish national
and international centres for the history of veterinary medicine with long-term
programmes for continuous collection and storage of records of important events
(written texts, photos, videos, films, maps, diskettes, CD-ROMs, etc.) and
documents (e.g. veterinary laws, regulations, instructions, etc. can be
registered free of charge) and easy to find in case of need;
·
to provide feasible
methodology for the activities of veterinary services in the field of history
(based on generalized experience accumulated in the past);
·
to use modern
technology for analyzing, storing and accessing important historical data and
documents i.e. computerized systems (diskettes, CD-ROMs, INTERNET, etc.),
special software (HANDISTATus, EPI-INFO, EPIZOO, etc.);
·
to provide relevant
documents on past, successful and unsuccessful, experience for optimization of
the methods of future programmes and as convincing and defendable arguments
attracting necessary support for veterinary services and animal health
programmes;
·
to increase general
consciousness of veterinary history importance today and in the future (using
extension, conferences, publications, exhibitions, etc.);
·
to try to involve as
many veterinarians and veterinary institutions as possible in collecting
historically important records and thus to create a large basis for future
reconstruction of the events of the past (today's records = tomorrow's
historical records);
·
to combine regular
with ad hoc, active with passive, collections of historical records (systematic
collection of all relevant records will minimize tedious search in the future)
·
to include the history
of veterinary medicine as under- graduate curriculum subject in all veterinary
faculties;
·
to exploit existing or
develop new legislation on historical documents collection, storage and use;
·
to evaluate veterinary
historical records also from the point of view of the contribution to social
and economic development and protection of human health.
Historical records are not only simple memoirs for
the future generations, but many of them are also very important documents
which can help us in solving future problems. Comparative studies of past
events and methods can often be useful when deciding on new programmes and
measures. History of successful programmes which proved to be effective, in
case of need, can serve as good examples for future activities. On the other
hand, unsuccessful programmes can serve as experience for earlier mistakes not
to be repeated, i.e., learning not only from past good experience and but also
from past failures.
Almost all our activities are based on the past as
its logical continuation. Documents of veterinary history represent rich sources
of extremely valuable past experience. Therefore, it should concern not only
professional veterinary historians, but every veterinarian.
Today, we have ideal and unique opportunity which
will not be repeated soon to evaluate the scope of veterinary medicine history,
methodology, organization and management and to prepare a new phase for the
next century and millennium.
A declaration
I am suggesting for consideration to prepare a
declaration on veterinary medicine history importance for the present and the
future and recommendations for starting 21th century and 3th millennium by:
·
extending the scope of
history of the programmes of veterinary medicine covering continuously the
territories of all countries, all levels and all components of veterinary
science and practice of veterinary services;
·
introducing
corresponding methodology, organization and management of the collection of
historical records, storing, registration, processing, evaluation,
accessibility and use.
This declaration to be addressed to all relevant
international and national veterinary organizations, institutions and
societies.
Conclusions
Historical records provide information useful for the
evaluation of the practical impact of veterinary services on social, economic
and public health development and for decision-making on animal health
programmes. Therefore, the care of history should be considered as an integral
component of veterinary services functions.
Address of the author:
Professor Dr Vaclav Kouba, DrSc
P.B. 516
17000 Prague 7
Czech Republic.
Table 1. Number of veterinarians in the world in 1990 (FAO-OIE-WHO Animal
Health Yearbook 1991).
Number %
Africa
32,343 5.47
Americas 139,916 23.65
Asia
215,931 36.49
Europe
136,119 23.01
Oceania
7,318 1.24
Former USSR
60,000 (estimate) 10.14
Total
591,627 100.00
Table 2. Increase of global production of food of
animal origin (FAOSTAT, FAO, 1995).
Food
Units 1961 1994
Increase by %
meat total
1000 MT 71,146 194,657
123,511 173.60
beef + veal
1000 MT 27,660 50,509
22,849 82.61
mutton + lamb
1000 MT 4,931 6,886
1,955 39.65
pig meat
1000 MT 24,798 78,954
54,156 218.39
poultry meat
1000 MT 8,953 49,125
40,172 448.69
milk total
1000 MT 344,590 526,569
181,979 52.81
cow milk
1000 MT 313,805 458,645
144,840 46.15