(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) October 15, 2013 " Today, two of the world’s largest veterinary medical associations issued a joint statement detailing the essential role of veterinarians in protecting animal, human, public and environmental health.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) joint statement, entitled The Essential Role of Veterinarians in Protecting Animal, Human, Public, and Environmental Health—A Global Public Good, emphasizes the important role veterinarians play in the protection human and public health by controlling animal disease.
The statement also sheds light on some of the less-recognized roles that veterinarians play in protecting and advancing public and environmental health, including: investigating animal and human disease outbreaks, and developing and implementing programs to enhance epidemiologic understanding, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and eradication of such diseases; building global surveillance systems to enhance early detection of, and response to, disease threats; ensuring the safety and nutritious value of all foods from animal origin—from farm to fork; and teaching the next generation of veterinarians, other medical professionals and other scientists.
“Diseases don’t respect national or international boundaries,” says AVMA President Dr. Clark K. Fobian. “By working with our colleagues around the globe, we can do more to protect the health, safety and welfare of animals, people and the environment worldwide.”
“Both the AVMA and the FVE are confident that veterinary medicine is an essential component of One Health, the link between animal health, human health and environmental health,” says FVE President Dr. Christophe Buhot. “We speak with one voice, which underscores our commitment to work together to solve some of the greatest challenges facing our planet " the prevention of disease in humans and animals and the protection of our environment.”
In 2011, the AVMA and FVE issued joint statements pertaining to veterinary medical education, the responsible and judicious use of antimicrobial drugs and the roles of veterinarians in promoting animal welfare.
To view the full joint statement from the AVMA and FVE, please visit https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Joint-AVMA-Fed-Europe-Statemt-Essential-Role-Veterinarians-One-Health.aspx. For more information on the FVE, visit theFVE website at www.fve.org.
The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 84,000 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities and dedicated to the art and science of veterinary medicine.