Veterinêre volksgesondheid : vakgebied of beroepstaak

Abstract

Establishment of a department of Veterinary Public Health justifies an exposition of the concept and placing it in perspective. VPH is internationally accepted as "that component of public health activities devoted to the application of professional veterinary skills, knowledge and resources to the protection and improvement of human health". Human health is affected by a wide range of factors affecting his physical and mental well-being as well as his ability to maintain a satisfactory socio-economic status. The veterinary profession is in fact one of the group of health professions because its members are in a unique position to perform a wide range of functions directly or indirectly associated with man's health. These include the provision of an adequate, safe, sound, clean and wholesome supply of food of animal origin, the control of animal diseasestransmissible to man and causing death or lack of productivity of animals, the maintenance of health and performance of companion and recreation animals, guide and guard dogs, etc. Veterinarians in fact work with animals for the benefit of man and this would make almost every veterinarian a public health veterinarian. As a separate subject in the training of veterinarians, the department of VPH must equip graduates with knowledge relevant to those aspects concerning the zoonoses, food of animal origin, diseasesof the udder, the animal in the human environment and so forth. It would emphasize MAN in the MAN : ANIMAL relationship.