History of veterinary public health in the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa

Brucellosis, rabies, salmonellosis, anthrax and hydatidosis are among the main zoonotic diseases which constitute a threat to human health and welfare. Surveillance, prevention and control of such zoonoses and related food-borne diseases are problems of considerable magnitude. Despite their obvious importance, relatively few systematic control efforts have been made by national authorities. Major constraints include the scarcity of public health veterinarians and related sub-professional staff to plan and implement adequate surveillance and control of zoonoses, and the lack of appropriate legislation and adequate laboratory services. Veterinarians have been contributing to public health for many years, but despite considerable efforts by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and other organisations in establishing veterinary public health (VPH) programmes over several decades, the veterinarian as a career specialist in public health is a relatively new phenomenon. In the last decade, emphasis has been placed on: --supporting the training and development of human resources to promote VPH services and cover all its components --promoting and upgrading national epidemiological surveillance and control programmes for the major zoonotic and food-borne diseases --cooperating and assisting in local production of safe and effective vaccines, primarily for the control of rabies and brucellosis. The most encouraging aspects of the present situation is the growing awareness among governments of the need to develop programmes for the control of zoonoses and related food-borne diseases.