One Health: A New Professional Imperative Publications / Information Releases from other Sources Posted by JimEdwards on Jul 22, 2008 - 01:56 PM The AVMA One Health Initiative Task Force's final report is now available on the AVMA Web site. [1] Source: [2]The convergence of people, animals, and our environment has created a new dynamic in which the health of each group is inextricably interconnected. The challenges associated with this dynamic are demanding, profound, and unprecedented. While the demand for animal-based protein is expected to increase by 50% by 2020,2 animal populations are under heightened pressure to survive, and further loss of biodiversity is highly probable. On top of that, of the 1,461 diseases now recognized in humans, approximately 60% are due to multi-host pathogens characterized by their movement across species lines.3 And, over the last three decades, approximately 75% of new emerging human infectious diseases have been zoonotic. Our increasing interdependence with animals and their products may well be the single most critical risk factor to our health and well-being with regard to infectious diseases. There is a growing concern that the world’s latest generation could be the first in history to experience a reduction in life expectancy and health in general. Yet, veterinary and human medicines are considered separate entities and the obvious links between them frequently ignored. According to the KPMG study, “The Current and Future Market for Veterinarians and Veterinary Medicine in the United States,”5 published in May of 1999, “our traditional approaches and past requisite skills and levels of knowledge may not be commensurate with the rapid changes and new demands of food-animal industries and the shifting requirements needed for the corporate and public opportunities in the future. These include public health, biomedical research, and the global food system.” Read more [3] ... This article is from World Veterinary Association   http://worldvet.org/ The URL for this story is:   http://worldvet.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4394 Links in this article   [1] http://www.avma.org/onehealth/onehealth_final.pdf   [2] http://www.avma.org/onehealth/onehealth_final.pdf   [3] http://www.avma.org/onehealth/onehealth_final.pdf