Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, APRIL 30
Veterinarians from all the districts of Nagaland today converged in Kohima on Saturday to observe the World Veterinary Day at Hotel Japfü under the aegis of Nagaland State Veterinary Council (NSVC).
Commissioner & Secretary for Veterinary & Animal Husbandry (V&AH), MK Mero, who graced the occasion as the chief guest said veterinarians play a crucial role in protecting global health.
Citing the findings of studies, the official pointed out that 60% of known human infectious diseases has origins from animals, while 75% of emerging human diseases also has roots in animals, such as, anthropoid-borne diseases like ebola and yellow fever, rodent-borne diseases like avian flu etc. Stating that too many human deaths caused each year by rabies as well as the recent ebola epidemic dreadfully reminds us of the strong links between the health of the people, animals and environment, he underscored the consequential need for multi sectoral approaches to deal with the situation. Towards this, he said it is essential for greater cooperation between the veterinary sciences, public health services and environmentalists.
He told veterinarians that as professionals, they have the opportunities and more importantly the responsibility to improve the health and welfare of animals and thereby improve the health of human beings.
Mero also mentioned that the performances of veterinary services are vital not only to contain and control diseases but also to tackle food safety issues and to effectively prevent and control any biological disasters. Reminding that the veterinary profession and science are constantly evolving, he said continuing education is needed to keep their knowledge updated with the latest developments, skills and new technologies to enable them to efficiently control health risks at their animal source.
Earlier, a technical session on the theme of the event ‘Continuing Education with a One Health Focus’ framed by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) was held during the day. Delivering the keynote address at the session, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer &POU member NEPED, Dr.VilatuoRutsaemphasized the need for veterinarians to work conscientiously in line with the professional ethics and accept the lifelong obligation for continual improvement of professional knowledge and competence.
He said the “one health” concept refers to the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and the ecosystem as a whole as they are interconnected. Therefore, he said, a broad interdisciplinary and a holistic approach is essential to develop effective intervention that fully addresses “one health” issues, while quintessence is given towards animal welfare. Dr.Rutsa highlighted that in order to achieve the “one health” mission, the WVA recommends three thrust areas to be concentrated on. These include, Education- updating knowledge and the “one health” concept in school/college curricula; Veterinary Services- vaccination, disease surveillance and reporting system; and Communication- between individual, government, veterinarians, organizations and policy makers.
In a presentation on FSSAI and the role of the state veterinary department, Dr. Simon Ao, MVSc (LPT) highlighted the importance of Meat Food Order of 1973 and Milk & Milk Products Order 1992 to be extended to the state of Nagaland in line with the Food and Safety Standard Act 2006. He suggested that development of meat inspection service in the state needs to be implemented vigorously in letter and spirit for providing hygienic and wholesome food to the public.
Marking the day, the Best Veterinarian Award 2016 in recognition of professional efficiency was announced and the award was conferred to Dr.MichaelImtiImchen, VAS at Veterinary Hospital Dimapur.
The NSVC on the occasion put up a set of recommendations for rabies control initiative which included, mass vaccination in collaboration with the stakeholders depending on availability of vaccine, logistic support, time frame and manpower based on baseline data on dog population, distribution and disease prevalence; Establish dog identity to facilitate surveillance and monitoring by way of registration and application GIS; Develop established data collection system for surveillance & monitoring; Establish sample testing protocol; Develop inter-sectoral and multi-sectoral coordination; Mobilize fund by developing a suitable programme; and Conducting mass awareness campaign.
