One Health Program
Animal health is necessary for sustainable livestock production. Animal products do not only represent a source of high-quality food, but are also a source of income for many small farmers and animal holders in developing countries. Economic growth is accompanied by an increase in consumption of animal products. Livestock contribution to agriculture GDP is significant in many developing countries.
Efficient prevention and control of animal diseases relies on appropriate legislation and animal disease early detection, rapid response mechanisms and extensive research and surveillance.
Zoonosis and emerging diseases
Zoonotic diseases are diseases which are transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans, Zoonotic diseases are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacterial, parasites, and fungi. These germs can cause many different types of illnesses in people and animals, ranging from mild to serious illness and even death. Animals can sometimes appear healthy even when they are carrying germs that can make people sick, depending on the zoonotic disease.
Animal disease agents including those transmissible to humans, have the potential to be used as biological weapons. 80% of agents that can be used for bioterrorism are pathogens of animal origin.
As the public animal health system and private service institutions do not function properly, animal diseases remain the biggest problem, which means loss of possession and productivity. If animals remain the best asset for the people of Somalia, animal production is difficult in a region where drought and lack of water are common. Animals are often afflicted with diseases synonymous with losses for the farmer. Under these conditions, animal health promotion programs are essential to strengthen the resistance of animals and thus improve human living conditions in a sustainable manner.
According CDC 75% of emerging infectious diseases of people are zoonotic, or originated with animals. Besides their effects on animals, those diseases can pose a health risk to farm workers through animal contact, and potentially to the public overall, either through contact with animals or disease vectors such as mosquitos or ticks, or through contaminated food. And anyone who remembers the BSE scare in 2003 knows the damage even the slightest health risk can inflict on our export markets.
The beef industry, so far, has avoided much of the fallout from zoonotic diseases, since the most common, such as zoonotic influenza viruses, have emerged from poultry and pigs. Foot and mouth disease (FMD), probably our top outbreak concern, is not zoonotic, although it is often confused with the human viral disease known as “hand, foot and mouth disease.”
Some identified zoonotic diseases as top priorities
- Zoonotic influenza – Influenza A viruses primarily affect poultry and pigs
- Salmonellosis — This is one of the most important foodborne diseases in the United States, potentially infecting ruminants, pigs and poultry.
- West Nile virus – Wild birds serve as the primary reservoir for this mosquito-borne virus. Among livestock species, this virus primarily affects equines.
- Plague – The Yersinia pestis bacteria rarely affects humans in the United States, but has epidemic potential. Wildlife such as ground squirrels and prairie dogs carry the bacteria, with fleas serving as vectors for human infection.
- Emerging coronaviruses – These include severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
- Rabies – According to the report, rabies disease affects cattle, horses, pets and wildlife species.
Other zoonotic diseases affecting cattle and occurring in the Somalia include :
- Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) this exists in Somalia and affects both human and animals
- Brucellosis, caused by the bacterium Brucella, which can affect a wide variety of animals including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and dogs.
- Dermatophilosis is a bacterial skin disease caused by Dermatophilus congolensis, affecting cattle, sheep, goats, and horses.
- Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacteria normally found in the intestines of people and animals. However, some strains cause a severe, often bloody, diarrhea in humans.
- Giardia lamblia is an intestinal protozoal parasite that may or may not cause disease in cattle. Humans become infected by ingestion of contaminated food or water.
- Leptospirosis, a bacterial disease of cattle caused by Leptospira interrogans can spread through the urine of infected animals and can survive in water and soil for months.
- Listeriosis is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, commonly infecting cattle, sheep, and goats. Most humans are resistant to infection, but individuals who are immunosuppressed, pregnant, or taking antacids are at increased risk of acquiring infection.
- Q fever is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burneti and causes abortions in cattle, sheep, and goats. Humans are usually infected when they are assisting the birthing process.
- Ringworm is a skin infection caused by fungi, which can infect humans through direct contact
- Bovine tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis which is shed in respiratory secretions, feces, and milk of infected animals. Humans can acquire tuberculosis from unpasteurized dairy products.
- Vesicular stomatitis is a viral disease transmitted by flies or direct contact. People acquire the virus by direct contact with infected animals.