Lecture 1, VPH activities and Trends Flashcards
The four areas of VPH activities—
(1) principal function,
(2) other areas of usual services,
(3) areas to which VPH provides access, and
(4) emerging areas (WHO 1975).
VPH leadership is essential in order to
respond, especially for development of sustainable, integrated measures of safety to reduce risks to health along the entire food chain, from the point of primary production to the consumer (i.e. the ‘farm-to-table’ approach).
The core domains of VPH activity: (6)
the diagnosis, surveillance, epidemiology, control, prevention, and elimination of zoonoses;
food protection;
health management of laboratory animal facilities and diagnostic laboratories;
biomedical research;
health education and extension;
and the production and control of biological products and medical devices.
OIE =
the World Organisation for Animal Health, formerly the Office International des Epizooties.
In May 2022, the Organisation stopped using historical acronym OIE, and start to use new acronym WOAH.
VPH does not fit as a single organisational template. The functions, activities, and resources of VPH are dispersed throughout various agencies and sectors, like (3)
agriculture, health, and the environment.
Function of WOAH:
(former OIE) sets international standards for animal health and welfare, including guidelines for the control of zoonotic diseases.
The OIE’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code serves as a reference for many countries in developing their own regulations related to animal health and trade.
Function of WHO:
is focused on promoting global health, with a specific emphasis on zoonoses through the “One Health” approach.
The organization provides guidance on zoonotic diseases, conducts research, and offers technical assistance to countries for disease surveillance and control.
Function of FAO:
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
is primarily focused on agriculture, enhancing food security, and improving levels of nutrition, especially in rural populations.
Consequently, the FAO has a direct interest in livestock diseases and in ensuring the quality of foods of animal origin.
Function of EFSA:
(European Food Safety Authority)
is responsible for assessing and communicating risks associated with the food chain.
It evaluates food safety and animal health issues, providing scientific advice to inform EU policies and regulations related to VPH.
Global warming is causing the thawing of permafrost in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It is postulated that once the frozen soil melts, what could happen?
ancient viral strains and bacterial spores might be revived and cause outbreaks.
A heat wave in 2016 in the Yamal Peninsula in the Arctic Circle caused the outbreak of
anthrax.
Anthrax-infected carcasses of reindeer buried in the permafrost released bacteria after thaw and caused an epizootic outbreak infecting 2000 reindeer with consequential transmission to humans.
It is believed that industrial farming led to diseasessuch as (6)
E. coli, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—the problem of anti-microbial resistance, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and obesity.
The emergence of anti-microbial drug resistance is associated with
commercial farming.
Genetically engineered animals for increasing production and raising biologicals (bio-farming): xenotransplantation is considered associated with the risk of
emerging zoonoses.
When it comes to chemical safety, there are EU regulations and bodies, such as
the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), that oversee certain aspects, ensuring the safety of both the environment and consumers.
