Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Veterinarians' role in public health and animal care
By King, Lonnie J·Published in MMWR supplements·2006·Office of the Director, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Veterinary medicine and public health at CDC.
Plain-English summary
Veterinarians do much more than just care for pets and farm animals; their work is essential for both animal and human health, as well as the environment. They are involved in various areas like biomedical research, managing ecosystems, and public health, which shows how important their role is in society. Unlike doctors who focus on humans, veterinarians learn about many different animal species and how diseases can spread between animals and people. Their training prepares them for a wide range of health issues, making them valuable in public health roles. Overall, veterinarians play a crucial part in improving health for both animals and humans.
Abstract
People readily associate the role of veterinarians with private veterinary practice focused on pets and farm animals, but the true dimensions and contributions of veterinary medicine are much broader and reflect expanding societal needs and contemporary challenges to animal and human health and to the environment. Veterinary medicine has responsibilities in biomedical research; ecosystem management; public health; food and agricultural systems; and care of companion animals, wildlife, exotic animals, and food animals. The expanding role of veterinarians at CDC reflects an appreciation for this variety of contributions. Veterinarians' educational background in basic biomedical and clinical sciences compare with that of physicians. However, unlike their counterparts in human medicine, veterinarians must be familiar with multiple species, and their training emphasizes comparative medicine. Veterinarians are competent in preventive medicine, population health, parasitology, zoonoses, and epidemiology, which serve them well for careers in public health. The history and tradition of the profession always have focused on protecting and improving both animal health and human health.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17183235/