Public Health
AVIS interprets the concept of Public Health in line with the definitions and practices used by the international community. Its approach is multidisciplinary (for example, public health can be affected as much by poverty and hunger as by disease) and its search for solutions holistic. While there is still great value in a classical model that allocates different responsibilities to different professional groups (doctors, veterinarians, public health officials etc) in the wider health community, many of the emerging challenges we face will be cross-cutting, and global requiring a well-coordinated team response. So AVIS is committed to a continuous development and update process for its programs and tools for daily use by the interdisciplinary teams that have formed and are forming to promote public health, all over the world.
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Key Links |
| WHO VPH |
| FAO VPH |
| OIE Food Safety |
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International Portal on Food Safety, Animal & Plant Health |
| Codex Alimentarius |
Health
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Health as not merely the absence of disease or infirmity [.] but a complete state of:
physical,
mental, and
social well-being.
Public Health (PH)
World Health Organisation (WHO) defines the remit of Public Health as addressing all organized measures (whether public or private) to:
prevent disease,
promote health, and
prolong life among the population as a whole.
Veterinary Public Health (VPH): A New Model
The WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) define Veterinary Public Health as the sum of all contributions to:
the physical,
mental, and
social well-being of humans
through an understanding and application of veterinary science.
"One Medicine"
Veterinary Public Health is thus no longer concerned simply with classical zoonoses, i.e. those diseases that are transmissible from animals to humans, but with a much broader, holistic impact of veterinary science on both animal and human health.
- Already it is acknowledged that some 75% of emerging diseases of humans are of animal origin.
- Animal welfare and well-being is understood as critical to underpinning health goals.
- The future trend is likely to see increasing convergence between approaches to human and animal health, especially with respect to infectious diseases.
- The trend of resource allocation and risk management is likely to move in the direction of what AVIS has termed "High Impact" Animal Diseases, Food Safety and Animal Impact on the Environment.
These factors are more and more driving the concept of a "one medicine" system linking the activities of traditional animal and human health professionals with those from other disciplines into an inter-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach to infectious disease surveillance and management. This is what the AVIS Editors have termed the "One Medicine Collaboration".
AVIS Programs and the AVIS College
AVIS programs are being developed to be a key knowledge management base that promotes this holistic approach to HEALTH. And the AVIS College is building an interdisciplinary team of fellows whose knowledge and expertise reflect the One Medicine approach.
The same concept underpins the philosophy of the Aleff Group, i.e.
Animal and Human health
Leather
Environment
Food and
Forestry
Interoperability
The second contribution of AVIS to the concept of One Medicine Collaboration is that of interoperability in animal health knowledge management, which the AVIS College has been promoting since 1994.
Interoperability works on two levels, technical, enabling all data and communications systems (such as databases, internet and telephony) to connect to each other and work together, and cultural, adopting the same values, methodologies, standards and best practices for tackling the complex problems that affect us all.
AVIS Veterinary Public Health
The following AVIS program offerings for veterinary public health are available through the AVIS Portal:
Newcastle disease (ND)
Rabies
Animal Tuberculosis
Rift Valley fever
AFSIS "Farm to Fork"Contact: AVIS Office, 53-54 Skylines, Limeharbour, London E14 9TS , UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7515 9009; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7515 5465
Email: mmoussaid@aviscollege.com