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Adopted by the WMA General Assembly,
Seoul, Korea, October 2008
The majority of the emerging infectious diseases, including the
bioterrorist agents, are zoonoses. Zoonoses can, by definition,
infect both animals and humans. By their very nature, the fields
of human medicine and veterinary medicine are complementary and
synergistic in confronting, controlling and preventing zoonotic
diseases from infecting across species.
Collaboration and communication between human medicine and veterinary
medicine have been limited in recent decades, yet the challenges
of the 21st Century demand that these two professions work together.
An initiative, often called the "One Health" initiative,
is being developed to improve the lives of all species-human and
animal-through the integration of human and veterinary medicine.
(1) "One Health"
aims to promote and implement close meaningful collaboration and
communication between human medicine, veterinary medicine and
all allied health scientists with the goal of hastening human
public health efficacy as well as advanced health care options
for humans (and animals) via comparative biomedical research.
The World Medical Association (WMA) recognizes the ways in which
animals and animal care may affect human health and disease through
its own current policies, particularly its statements on Animal
Use in Biomedical Research, Resistance to Antimicrobial Drugs
and Avian and Pandemic Influenza. The WMA already works with other
health professions including dentists, nurses and pharmacists
though the World Health Professions Alliance.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the World Medical Association:
- Support collaboration between human and veterinary medicine;
- Support the concept of joint educational efforts between human
medical and veterinary medical schools;
- Encourage joint efforts in clinical care through the assessment,
treatment, and prevention of cross-species disease transmission;
- Support cross-species disease surveillance and control efforts
in public health, particularly the identification of early disease
and outbreak trends;
- Support the need for joint efforts in the development, integration
and evaluation of screening tools, diagnostic methods, medicines,
vaccines, surveillance systems and policies for the prevention,
management and control of zoonotic diseases;
- Engage in a dialogue with the World Veterinary Association
to discuss strategies for enhancing collaboration between human
and veterinary medical professions in medical education, clinical
care, public health, and biomedical research.
- Encourage National Medical Associations to engage in a dialogue
with their veterinary counterparts to discuss strategies for
enhancing collaboration between human and veterinary medical
professions within their own countries.
1) J. Zinsstag, et
al. Lancet 2005; 366: 2142-2145 and E.P.J. Gibbs. Veterinary Record
2005; 157:673-679
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